


Zip Ties

by expelled_sleep_demon



Category: Batman (Comics), DC Extended Universe
Genre: Drug Use, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:54:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 29,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26703277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/expelled_sleep_demon/pseuds/expelled_sleep_demon
Summary: Although Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul have an amicable divorce, they struggle to balance their personal lives and their relationships with their children.
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Koriand'r, Harvey Dent/Bruce Wayne, Talia al Ghul/Selina Kyle
Comments: 18
Kudos: 93





	1. The Pickup Game

Damian sat with Jason, staring up at the large clock in the center of the airport. "Do you think he missed us?" Damian asked.

Jason stared straight ahead, trying to remember not to squeeze Damian's hand too hard. "I'm sure he missed us," Jason whispered. Jason couldn't say that he was just as nervous as Damian was.

"Is he gonna be late?" Damian asked this time, he looked at Jason for an answer.

"He's not gonna be late. He's never late," Jason reassured, "Besides, he's got fifteen minutes to get here." Damian smiled at Jason.

"Did you miss him too?"

Jason let out a little laugh, "You've been asking questions ever since we got on the plane... And yes, yes, I do miss Dad." Damian turned to face straight ahead. Damian squeezed Jason's hand. "Do you see Dad?" Damian shook his head. Jason chuckled, looking back up at the clock, just as they each felt a hand touch their shoulders.

"That's because you're looking in the wrong direction," Bruce whispered, and they turned around with big smiles on their faces. Bruce picked Damian up and hugged Jason. Bruce stood there a moment, embracing his sons before he put Damian down and picked up Damian's luggage from the bench.

"I stayed awake the whole time," Damian said, with a sort of seriousness in his voice, "Jason fell asleep." Jason grabbed the other two suitcases, carrying one on his back and pulling the other behind him.

"I did for the last hour or so. Mom wanted us to call her after we finished eating," Jason replied. Bruce smiled and led them out to the car, putting their bags in the trunk, and buckling Damian into his car seat. Jason sat in the front seat, waiting for Bruce. Bruce got in the driver's seat and looked at Jason for a moment. "What's wrong?"

"I saw your final grades... And I've got to say I'm proud of you," Bruce whispered. He messed up Jason's hair and smiled before turning back to look at Damian. "You too, Damian, your teacher said you were an excellent reader. Excellent." Damian beamed in the backseat at his father's words. Jason grinned, his lips curving up at one side.  
  
The rest of the ride was quiet, being that Damian fell asleep, and Jason managed to nod off again. Bruce didn't mind. Talia said they were too excited to sleep the night before. It was nice to know they missed him. Just as Bruce pulled into the manor, Jason made a noise, rubbing his eyes before turning to Bruce.

"Dad?" Bruce looked over at Jason and put the car in park.

"Hungry?" Bruce asked. Jason nodded and turned around to see if Damian was still asleep. "Okay, come on. Come on, we can get your bags after you two eat." He and Jason stepped out of the car, and Jason unbuckled Damian from his car seat. Damian made a noise as Jason gave him a gentle nudge.

"We're gonna get our bags later, but right now, we're gonna go see Alfred," Jason whispered gently before picking Damian up.

"And Titus?"

"Yes, and Titus," Bruce smiled. He unlocked the door, letting Jason and Damian in first. They went straight to the kitchen to greet Alfred.

Damian shook Alfred's hand and politely whispered, "It's nice to see you."

Jason hugged Alfred and smiled, "Hey, Alfie."

"Hello, Master Jason. I don't suppose you have the stomach for ravioli lasagna," Alfred cracked a smile, and Jason sat Damian at the kitchen island.

"You didn't!" Jason exclaimed. Alfred took personal Tupperware out of the oven and handed Jason a fork and a knife. "Thanks, Alfred." Damian sat up straight in his chair, waiting for Alfred to show him his surprise.

"And of course I couldn't forget you, Master Damian. A vegetarian pot pie," Alfred smiled, giving Damian a fork and a small ramekin with his lunch. "Be careful, it's hot." Damian dug in and blew on his food before taking a bite. Jason ate too, smiling at the taste.

Jason looked at Alfred as he ate. "Missed you, Alfie," Jason whispered.

"And I missed you, Master Jason," Alfred smiled, "How was the plane ride?"

"Jason fell asleep," Damian answered, "I didn't. I stayed awake the whole time." Jason rolled his eyes playfully.

"I only slept for the last part," Jason clarified, before finishing his lunch and walking over to the sink to wash out his dish. "Is Dick home from school?" Alfred shook his head.

"Not yet, he said he'd be home a few days later than expected. He's visiting friends in San Francisco," Alfred answered. Bruce entered the kitchen and handed the phone to Jason.

"It's Talia," Bruce whispered.

"Hi, Mom," Jason smiled.

"Hello, my dear, did you get a chance to eat yet?" Talia asked.

"Yeah, I just finished eating," Jason answered. Bruce went into the fridge and grabbed the milk.

"Did you and Damian get any sleep," Talia asked. Damian finished eating and tapped Jason's leg.

"Can I talk to Mama when you're done," Damian whispered loudly. Jason nodded.

"Just a second," Jason whispered, "Mom, Damian wants to talk to you."

He handed Damian the phone, and Damian greeted his mother with a soft, "Hello."

"Hello, my love. Did you sleep on the plane?" Talia asked.

"Nuh-uh. I didn't sleep the whole time. Jason did... But I did sleep in the car," Damian answered.

"That's good. I'm sure you have a big day ahead of you. I love you very much, Damian," Talia said.

"I love you too, Mama," Damian answered back. Damian gave the phone back to Jason.

"Love you, Mom," Jason whispered.

"And I love you. I'll talk to you both later. Give the phone to your father, please," Talia requested gently. He obeyed, handing the phone to Bruce. "Here, Dad. I'm gonna go get the bags from the car."

Damian hopped down from the chair and followed Jason back out to the car.

"Are you gonna sleep in your room tonight," Jason asked. Damian nodded.

"I'm not a baby anymore, I'm gonna be in second grade," Damian answered. Jason smiled.

"Still, it wouldn't make you a baby if you wanted to visit me. You know, to make sure I wasn't scared to sleep in my room," Jason whispered to make Damian feel better.

"It wouldn't?" Damian asked. Jason shook his head and grabbed Damian's bags from the trunk, taking them upstairs to his room. He turned to go back outside, waiting to see if Damian would unpack on his own or follow him back out to the car. Damian followed quickly behind, insisting to Jason that he could be helpful. Jason didn't mind. He never did. Jason knew Damian wouldn't sleep in his own room. It wasn't that Damian was afraid, no, he just missed their mom. It was always like that when they'd go home, be it to their dad's or their mom's. The first week or so, Damian wouldn't sleep in his own room.

"No, it wouldn't make you a baby at all. You'd just be checking in on me, is all." Jason took his bags to his room and started to unpack.

"Jason?" Damian asked.

"Hm?"

"Can we go find Titus before we unpack? I wanna see if he remembers me," Damian whispered. Jason nodded, following Damian out into the hall and down the stairs. Damian heard a single bark, and he was on the ground.

"Easy, Titus!" Jason laughed. Damian held Titus's face in his hands.

"I missed you too," Damian laughed. Titus let Damian sit up and licked his face.

"No love for me, big fella," Jason asked playfully, and Titus brushed the top off his head against Jason's hand. "That's more like it." Jason knelt down and let Titus rest a paw on his shoulder. Bruce walked down the hall and stopped in his tracks to smile at the boys. "Are you still talking to Mom?" Jason whispered. Bruce shook his head.

"No, it's your brother," Bruce whispered, "I can come to get you, but you're going to have to wait until your brothers are settled in... I'm not going to argue with you. I asked if you wanted to get picked up last night or after I get your brothers-." Jason nudged Bruce.

"Dad, we can settle in later. Right, Damian?" Jason asked. Damian nodded. Bruce knew Jason was trying to make up for how he acted at Christmas, and he nodded.

"We'll be there in twenty minutes... Yes, we," Bruce answered, "You can thank Jason for being so understanding when we get there... Okay, bye." Bruce hung up and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Thank you, Jason. Damian, do you have to go to the bathroom before we get in the car?" Damian nodded.

Jason looked at Bruce for a minute, chewing his lip nervously. "Is he still mad about Christmas?"

"I think he's not as mad as he is nervous. I know you were going through a lot when you came to visit," Bruce whispered.

"I'm really sorry about that. There was no excuse-." Bruce stopped him, placing a steady hand on his shoulder.

"It's all in the past," Bruce whispered, and Damian came back from the bathroom. "Everybody ready to go."


	2. Reset

Bruce pulled into the driveway, and Tim got in the backseat. "Hi, Tim," Jason whispered.

"Hey..."

"Do you remember us?" Damian asked Tim. Tim nodded. "Do you remember Christmas?"

"Dami!" Jason exclaimed, before sinking into his seat and covering his face, his ears burned.

"I'm not mad anymore," Tim mumbled, "If you want to start over, we can start over." Jason turned around to look at Tim's face. He wanted to see if Tim really meant it.

"Okay... I'd like that," Jason whispered.

"Daddy?" Damian asked, his voice soft as he stared out the window.

"Yes, Damian," Bruce answered.

"Jason wants to tell you a secret," Damian whispered. Jason turned around and gave Damian a look.

"No, I don't, Damian," said Jason sternly, and Tim cracked a smile. Bruce stopped at the light and looked at Jason.

"Should I be concerned?" Bruce asked. Jason shook his head. "Are you being honest?"

Jason looked at Bruce and mumbled, "Later." Bruce nodded, leaving things alone for the moment. Tim dug through his duffle bag and opened a candy bar in the backseat, breaking off a piece to hand to Damian.

"Thank you," Damian whispered. Bruce glanced at the mirror to see what they were doing, and he smiled.

After that, the boys were quiet for most of the ride home, except for when Bruce asked if Tim if he was hungry. "Mhm," Tim answered.

"Gonna be alright until we get home?" Bruce asked, and Jason nodded. He knew it was directed towards him.

On the way to the drive-thru, Tim leaned forward and tapped on Jason's shoulder. "What's with the hockey jersey?"

"I was a center on my school's team," Jason answered. Bruce pulled into the driveway, and Tim unbuckled Damian's car seat, and they went inside. Jason turned to get out of the car, and Bruce made a noise.

"Just one second," Bruce whispered. Jason closed his door back and turned to Bruce.

"Did Mom tell you that I quit the team?" Jason asked. Bruce shook his head.

"No, she didn't tell me that. She told me you quit right before an away game," Bruce whispered, "Do you want to talk about that?"

"Dad-."

"You're not in trouble, and I'm not interrogating you. I just want to know if things are okay," Bruce paused for a moment, waiting to see if Jason would say anything before continuing, "It's just that you really liked hockey. If you don't like it anymore, that's fine too..."

Jason shrugged. "I didn't wanna go."

"That's okay... Why didn't you want to go?" Bruce asked. Jason kicked his shoes off and hugged his knees in the passenger's seat.

"Because it was right after Christmas, and I knew you weren't coming... Dad, I know you said you didn't want to talk about what happened, but-."

"Jason, we don't have to talk about it-."

"Nobody wants to talk about it, but it happened, and I want to talk about it," Jason replied.

"Okay," Bruce answered, taking a deep breath.

"I don't want to make any excuses, because I know what I did was wrong. I just wanna tell you what happened and why it happened," Jason looked at Bruce to see if he was angry before continuing, "When we came during Christmas, I wanted to tell you something, but you introduced us to Tim, and you were so busy."

"What did you want to tell me?" Bruce asked. Jason looked away.

"That I was having nightmares again. I was gonna tell you and Mom together," Jason whispered, "I couldn't sleep the whole time we were here, and it was like everything was so loud. When I finally fell asleep, Tim woke me up, trying to ask me a question, and I snapped. I know it was wrong, but I didn't realize what I did until after it happened." Bruce didn't say anything, and Jason couldn't bear to look up at his father. "Dad, I didn't mean to hit Tim. Honest-." Bruce rested a hand on the back of Jason's head.

"Are you still having the nightmares?" Bruce asked. Jason nodded. "Do you want to start talking to someone again?" Jason shook his head. "If you want, your mom and I can all talk about this over the phone tonight." Jason nodded.

"Okay," Jason whispered.

Bruce sat quietly next to Jason for a while. Bruce usually made a point to check in on Jason as soon as possible during their summers together. He adored his sons, each and everyone, but Jason was a unique case. Jason was in a rough place before Bruce and Talia adopted him, and for a long time, Jason was convinced they would give up on him.  
  
Bruce knew each of the boys very well, and he knew how vulnerable Jason was, even to the degree of being fragile. Talia saw it too. After the divorce, it seemed like Jason completely unraveled. When things got better, they always worried that something would set him off again, that he would shut down. Now that Bruce knew Jason was still having nightmares, those worries came flooding back to the surface.

Jason didn't move until Bruce stepped out of the car, and when he got close enough, Bruce embraced him. "I love you, Jason," Bruce whispered, and Jason held onto him for a moment.

"Love you, Dad." Jason let go, and they went back inside without a word. Jason went straight to his room and started to unpack. He looked through his bag and placed his books on the night table.

Damian came in and sat next to Jason, tapping his shoulder before whispering, "Did Daddy punish you?"

"Nuh-uh. We just talked... Did Tim help you unpack while I was talking to Dad?" Jason asked. Damian nodded.

"Are you still sleepy?" Damian asked. Jason nodded, and Damian unzipped Jason's suitcase, carrying his clothes to the drawers while Jason unpacked his other bag. "Mama said you can't take long naps."

"I know," Jason whispered. Tim knocked and stood in the doorway.

"Can I help?" Tim asked. Jason smiled at him and nodded. Jason didn't quite know what to say to Tim, but Tim made up for it.

"Do you plan to read all summer?" Tim asked.

"No, it's not gonna take me long to get through them," Jason answered, "Do you wanna borrow one?" Tim shook his head.

"Just curious, but I plan on relaxing this summer and sleeping in," Tim smiled to himself.

"Well, prepare for two of those weeks to be spent in a national park," Jason smiled, "Mom and Dad always take us camping together for summer vacation."

"Camping?" Damian zipped up Jason's suitcase and pushed it underneath his bed.

"Don't worry, we don't really rough it. Damian's only six, so we spend two weeks in a cabin. It's fun. I think you might like it," Jason whispered. Tim pulled out a bottle of vitamins and handed them to Jason. "B-6; I get carsick a lot," Jason explained.

"Did you get sick during the long part?" Tim asked about their ride home from the airport.

"I went to sleep," Jason answered.

"But Mama said-."

"It's okay, I'm still gonna be tired later. I promise," Jason whispered.

"It's cute that he worries-."

"I'm not cute," Damian interrupted.

"He's got a thing about being cute. He prides himself on being the responsible one. He looks after me," Jason whispered to Tim, and Tim smiled.

"You make sure Jason's okay, huh?" Tim asked. Damian nodded proudly. Jason smiled to himself after seeing the look on Damian's face. Jason relaxed a little, feeling as if he and Tim could be close, despite what happened. He was glad to know that Tim meant what he said in the car. It really did feel like they got to start over.


	3. Dad Cave

Jason sat on Bruce's bed in his pajamas while the phone rang, yawning. Bruce leaned forward and whispered, "What happened to your retainer?"

"Mom said I didn't have to wear it if I didn't want to," Jason whispered. Bruce opened his mouth, only to be interrupted by Talia answering the call.

"Hello again," Bruce greeted her.

"Hi, Mom," Jason greeted.

"Hello, Bruce. Hello, my love. What's wrong?" She whispered. Jason looked at Bruce, waiting for him to tell her. "Hello?"

"Jason told me earlier that he's been having nightmares again. He wanted to tell both of us together at Christmas, but he didn't get the chance to," Bruce whispered, and Jason chewed his nails.

"Do you want to start seeing someone again?" Talia asked.

"No," Jason mumbled. Talia made an affirmative noise on the phone, and Bruce sat on the bed next to Jason.

"Are you having the same nightmare?" Talia asked. Bruce grabbed Jason's hand, stopping him from chewing his fingernails.

"No one's mad at you," Bruce whispered. Jason swallowed hard.

"It's different. Instead of me being stuck in the car, it's you and Dad," Jason whispered.

"Who was driving when it happened?" Bruce asked.

"You." Bruce grew quiet, trying to think of words to say to his son.

"Well, see, your father always lets me drive when we use the same car. Your father and I are both very safe drivers, and we have never had a bad accident," Talia whispered, "Did something happen before Christmas?"

"We were going to an away game, and we saw an accident... I didn't wanna tell you it bothered me," Jason whispered, "I didn't want you guys to worry."

"Jason, we love you. We would rather be worried and talk about it than not know at all," Talia whispered, "Okay?"

"Okay. I love you, Mom," Jason whispered.

"I love you too. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Jason whispered, and she hung up. Bruce took his phone back and plugged it up by his bedside. Jason sat next to Bruce quietly for a while.

"Jason, nothing is going to happen to me. I pro-."

"You can't promise that," Jason interrupted. He hugged his knees and put his head down.

"I can try... Jason, I know you don't exactly know what to process a lot of things that have happened to you, and I don't expect things to be easy. I never want you to pretend that things are. I know we've talked about things and that we've talked to people about things-."

"I'm trying-."

"That's not what I'm saying, Jason, I'm saying that I'm proud of you for talking about things, and so is your mother. You know she's much better with putting these things into words..." Bruce trailed off, taking a moment to nudge Jason gently. "Jaylad?" Jason cracked a smile. "Come on, chum, I know you heard me," Bruce joked, nudging Jason twice more.

"Stop," Jason laughed, letting Bruce relax a little bit.

"You can sleep on the couch in here tonight," Bruce whispered. Jason nodded, yawning as he watched Bruce look for extra blankets.

Tim knocked on the door and entered shortly after.

"Are we all sleeping in your room tonight?" Tim asked. Damian walked in with his mother's scarf and his pillow. Bruce nodded.

"Yeah, I was just about to come and get you guys," Bruce smiled, going back to look for more blankets. Jason followed him. "When did you stop wearing your retainer?"

"Last month, it's no big deal. I decided I like my gap," Jason shrugged. Bruce smiled.

"It suits you," Bruce whispered, handing Jason a pile of blankets. "Anything you want to do now that you're done with hockey?"

Jason nodded. "There's something I've been wanting to do for a while, but that's kind of a surprise."

Damian helped take some of the blankets and dropped them on the couch. They made a blanket fort on the floor and set pillows on the floor, and Damian tugged at Bruce's sleeve. "Are you gonna sleep down here too?" Damian asked. Bruce took a deep breath, looking down at the floor and nodded.

Jason crawled through once they were done setting up and laid down. Damian and Tim followed while Bruce turned out the lights. Damian wrapped the scarf around his neck, and Bruce made a noise. "Nuh-uh," Bruce whispered, taking the scarf and rolling it up and placing it by Damian's face like a pillow. Damian laid down, turned towards Jason, and closed his eyes. Tim curled up on Bruce's other side. "Goodnight, boys."

"Goodnight, Daddy," Damian whispered.

"Goodnight, Dad," Tim whispered. Jason didn't say anything, and Bruce sat up to see Jason was fast asleep. Damian was the next to fall asleep, then Tim and Bruce lay there for a while, waiting to see if they were all alright. After a while, Bruce started to nod off, interrupted only by the sound of Jason tossing and turning. Bruce nudged Jason and woke him up.

Jason sat up and turned over before closing his eyes and going back to sleep. Damian slept soundly, and Bruce smiled, just as Tim started to snore. Bruce sighed, eventually falling asleep despite the noise. Tim's snoring subsided, and Damian woke out of his sleep. He crawled out of their makeshift tent, silently making his way to Alfred's room, and he knocked on the door. Alfred took a minute or two to get out of bed, but he answered the door. "Hello, Master Damian," Alfred whispered, "Do you know what time it is?" Damian shook his head.

"You were in my dream," Damian whispered, "You were mad at me."

"I assure you that I am not angry with you," Alfred whispered, "And it's four a.m." Damian nodded.

"Is Titus asleep?" Damian asked. Alfred took Damian's hand and led him halfway down the stairs to see Titus asleep in his bed by the front door.

"Would you like to go back to bed?" Alfred whispered. Damian looked at Alfred to see if he was tired, and he smiled.

"I can walk you back to your room," Damian whispered. Alfred smiled, allowing Damian to take him back to his room.

"Be careful not to wake anyone," Alfred whispered. Damian nodded. Tiptoeing down the stairs, Damian heard the door unlock, and he ran behind the stairwell. He peeked as soon as he heard the door open and caught his brother's eye.

"Shh," Dick whispered, before walking over to Damian and picking him up. Damian embraced him.

"Daddy said you weren't coming this week," Damian whispered, "We missed you." Dick put him down.

"I missed you too. Let's go see if there's anything to eat around here, okay?" Dick looked down at Damian and went through the pantry. "Want some cereal?"

"I can make my own toast," Damian whispered, and Dick passed him the bread. "Thank you."

"No problem. Did you tell Dad that you started taking fencing classes after Christmas?" Dick asked.

Damian shook his head as he put a slice of bread in the toaster. He went into the fridge for the butter and jelly. "Mama wanted to tell him when we go camping."

"I think he'll be okay with it-." Dick heard someone run down the stairs.

"Damian?" Bruce asked, half-yelling in the near-silent mansion. Damian left his bread in the toaster, standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Damian, what are you doing downstairs?"

"I'm having breakfast with Dick," Damian whispered. Bruce picked him up, taking a sigh of relief.

"Dick isn't here, Damian, and it's too early for breakfast," Bruce whispered, as he started walking back up the stairs.

"Dick is here, he's in the kitchen," Damian insisted, and Bruce put him down, following him back to the kitchen. Dick smiled and waved as he buttered Damian's toast.   
"Hiya, Dad," Dick smiled. Bruce smiled.

"You're here early. Why didn't you call me?" Bruce whispered.

"It was a spur of the moment decision. I couldn't sleep, so I decided to drive home," Dick explained. Bruce nodded and looked through the pantry for a bagel.

"I didn't sleep much either," Bruce paused. "Coffee?" Dick nodded. "Coffee, Damian?" Bruce asked. Damian nodded, and Bruce chuckled, taking out a hot cocoa packet for Damian.

"Who kept you up?" Dick asked. Bruce took out three mugs and set them out on the counter while he turned the kettle on to make hot water.

"Jason and Tim. Damian was sound asleep all night. I didn't even hear when he woke up," Bruce whispered, "Tim snored all night, and Jason was up every two or so hours."

Dick helped Damian up into the barstool so he could eat his toast at the kitchen island. "Hey, when we go camping, you're my roommate Dami," Dick joked. Damian nodded, biting into his toast.

"Okay," Damian whispered. Bruce chuckled.


	4. Dickolas

A few hours after Dick woke Jason and Tim up, Dick offered to take the boys to the park while Bruce met up with a friend in the city. "Dad, I'll put Damian's car seat back in your car after we get back," Dick yelled.

Bruce ran down the stairs, straightening his tie, and stopping when he got to Dick at the front door. "Do you need money to take the boys to eat after?" Bruce asked. Dick held out his hand, and Bruce gave him cash. "Okay, am I forgetting anything?"

"Wait," Dick closed the door for a moment before whispering, "Are you going on a date?" Bruce swallowed hard. "Bruce!"

"Shush, I don't think it's a date... It's not a date. I'm just meeting up with an old friend," Bruce whispered, "And don't tell the boys where I'm going. Just say you don't know." Dick nodded.

Dick opened the door, letting Bruce leave first. Dick buckled Damian into his car seat and got in the car. "Where does everyone wanna eat after the park?" Dick asked.

"Pizza," Tim answered.

"I just want a smoothie," Jason answered. Dick looked back at Damian, waiting for an answer.

"Oatmeal."

"Damian, you could eat anything you want. Are you sure you want to eat oatmeal?" Dick asked, and Damian nodded. "Okay... If you change your mind, let me know, okay?" Jason turned the radio on.

"Where are we going?" Tim asked.

"The park."

"You can take the coach out of gymnastics, but you can't take gymnastics out of the-."

"Hey, I'm just taking you three to the park. If you wanna work out with me, that's up to you," Dick replied.

"Jason can do twenty pull-ups," Damian stated. Jason shook his head.

"I can't do that many," Jason whispered, his eyes closed. Dick chuckled. "What?"

"No, I'm not laughing at you. You being able to do that many pull-ups at your age just sounds a bit-." Jason opened his eyes and looked directly at Dick.

"So you are laughing at me," Jason interrupted. Dick shook his head.

"I'm not laughing at you. I was laughing because that seems like a large number," Dick whispered. Jason nodded.

"Okay," Jason replied, "Yeah..." Dick opened his mouth to say something, but Jason turned towards the window and closed his eyes.

"Dick? Maybe you should say sorry," Damian suggested. Dick took a deep breath and nudged Jason.

"Damian's right. I shouldn't have laughed at you. I'm sorry," Dick whispered. Jason didn't say anything. Neither did anyone else in the car. When Dick parked at the park, Tim unbuckled Damian's car seat, and Dick nudged Jason again. "We're here." Jason stretched out in the car, and Dick made a face.

"What now?" Jason asked.

"You were asleep this whole time?" Dick asked. Jason nodded. "Oh, well, we meet up at the car in an hour. If you don't have a watch, stay close." Damian ran to the stationary bike a few feet away from the bars, and Tim walked over towards the climbing wall. Jason stood next to Dick.

"Bet you twenty bucks I can do more pull-ups than you," Jason smiled.

"You don't have twenty bucks... Do you?" Dick asked. Jason took his wallet out of his pocket and flashed a twenty. "You sure you wanna make this bet?" Jason nodded.

"Scared?" Jason asked, smiling.

"Dami, mind keeping score?" Dick asked. Damian nodded from his spot on the bike. Jason took the shorter bar, and Dick took the taller one. They both started to do pull-ups, and Damian counted each one. After about twenty, Dick began to weaken, but he pushed on. Once they got to twenty-eight, Dick gave in to his fatigue, and Jason pushed on.  
  
"Twenty-nine," Damian yelled, and Jason quit, smiling and holding out an open hand.

"Pay up Dickolas" Jason smiled, taking the twenty from Dick.

"Since when were you that strong?" Dick asked in disbelief. Jason smiled.

"I'm not, I just wanted twenty dollars," Jason joked. Dick messed up his hair.

"I'll keep that in mind next time I make a bet with you," Dick laughed. Damian got off the bike and pulled on Dick's sleeve.

"Can I play over there?" Damian asked, pointing to the jungle gym. Dick nodded, watching as Damian made his way over to the slide. He climbed up the steps and stood at a steering wheel, pretending to be captain of a ship. He could see Tim from where he stood talking to a girl, and Tim looked in his direction and waved. Damian waved back. After twenty or so minutes, Tim came up the steps of the jungle gym asking Damian if he wanted to be pushed on the swings, and Damian shook his head. "When we go home, can we play hide-and-seek?"

"Sure, we can. Wanna go on the tornado spinner now?" Tim asked, pointing to the umbrella-shaped spinning equipment. Damian looked for a moment and thought about it carefully.

"Jason can't spin. It makes him sick." Damian whispered. Tim shook his head.

"I don't get sick when I spin. Do you want to?" Tim asked. Damian nodded and followed Tim to a raised platform, right in front of the spinner, and he let Damian grab on, swinging him to the other side. Tim grabbed the wheel after, forcing both of them to spin around a lot faster than Damian expected, and he let go, falling down into the woodchips. Tim let go and helped Damian up. "You okay?" Damian showed him the scrape on his elbow.

"I'm okay, but I don't wanna play that anymore," Damian paused, "Where's your friend?"

"Hm?"

"The girl you were talking to. Did she go home?" Damian asked. Tim shook his head.

"She didn't go home, I told her you were my little brother, and she said I should go play with you," Tim confessed. Damian followed Tim over to the track.

"Where'd she go?" Damian asked.

"She said she'd be over-." He felt a cold hand on his neck, and he jumped.

"Gotcha!" She exclaimed.

"Jeez, do you ever quit?" Tim asked. She smiled. "Steph, this is my little brother, Damian. Damian, this is Steph."

"Nice to meet you, Damian," Steph smiled, reaching out to shake his hand, "Well, aren't you cute." Damian took his hand back.

"He's got a thing about being called cute," Tim whispered.

"Oh, my fault," Steph replied, "Sorry." He smiled, and they started walking laps. "How old are you?"

"Six," Damian answered, "I'm not supposed to ask how old you are." Steph smiled.

"Can I tell you?" Steph asked. Damian shook his head.

"I don't think you can... I hurt my elbow," Damian showed her his scrape, and without making a noise, she took off a backpack and pulling out a bandaid.

"Want a bandaid? I've got more kinds than just the plain ones, but I dunno if you like Mickey Mouse or not," Steph replied. Damian let her place a bandage on his elbow. "It looks tough!"

"It's a bandaid," Damian replied, flatly. Steph laughed and shook her head.

"No chance of me getting any cool points with him, is there?" Steph joked.

"Not a chance," Tim whispered, just before hearing a whistle.

"What's that?" Steph asked.

"My brother, the gymnastics coach. We gotta go... I'll see you later, though," Tim replied, reaching to take Damian's hand.

"Definitely, and it was nice meeting you, Damian," Steph smiled.

Damian smiled and waved at her.

Once they got to the car, Damian looked up at Tim and whispered, "She treats me like a little kid."

"You are a little kid," Tim replied.

"He's a person," Jason corrected, as he got in the front seat.

"How come you always get the front seat?" Tim asked.

"I get carsick," Jason stated. Dick buckled Damian into his car seat and messed up Damian's hair.

"Okay, recap, pizza for Tim, oatmeal for Damian, and a smoothie for Jason?" Dick asked.


	5. Brunch

Bruce knocked on the blue door of the townhouse, pushing his hair back, and turning facing the street to collect himself. "I'm not complaining about the view, but I bet you look just as good from the front."

Bruce turned around to face his date, and in a calm voice, he whispered, "Gonna let me in, Harv?"

"Can I think about it?" Harvey joked before letting Bruce inside. "When are the boys coming home?"

Bruce followed Harvey to the kitchen and washed his hands. "I picked the kids up from the airport yesterday, and Dick came in early this morning before I woke up." Harvey handed Bruce a serving dish, and he picked up another. "Jason's quit hockey," Bruce paused, waiting for Harvey to react.

"You know how kids his age are. They go from one thing to the next. It's just part of finding themselves," Harvey replied cooly. Bruce shook his head, following Harvey back to the kitchen to help set the table.

"No, he loves hockey. It's this thing with cars, at first we wrote it off as motion sickness, then we had him talk to someone, and he was doing a little better for a while... Then he sees this accident on the way to an away game, and he just up and quits the whole team. That's not like him," Bruce explained. Harvey grabbed a pitcher of lemonade.

Bruce pulled out Harvey's chair. "Well, did he ever really talk about what happened?"

"No, when we would ask, he'd tell us he doesn't remember," Bruce replied. Harvey made Bruce's plate.

"Eggs?" Harvey asked, and Bruce nodded. "You know, maybe he really doesn't remember... I mean, I remember going to talk to Jason in the hospital after the accident. He couldn't really tell me much. He told me he remembered hearing the car swerve and waking up upside down, and that was it." Harvey took a sandwich off the plate. "It's been three years since the accident, maybe what scares him most is that he can't remember what happened." Bruce poured himself a glass of lemonade.

Bruce started eating, before whispering, "This is amazing, Harv... I'm sorry we always end up talking about the kids."

"I don't mind talking about the kids. Hell, if I had kids, I'd never let you hear the end of it either. I kind of wanted to ask something in regards to the boys-."

"I haven't told them yet. I was hoping that you would go camping with us. I wanted to tell the boys when we get up to the cabin," Bruce interrupted. Harvey dug into his eggs and made a face.

"You do realize Jason's not going to take that well at all," Harvey whispered, "He knows me. He's met me, and to surprise him like this would just be wrong. I think you should talk to him."

"What do I say to him?" Bruce asked. Harvey bit into his sandwich.

"I should've made a dip... Um," Harvey paused, "Maybe you should catch him when you can talk to him alone. I don't think this is something you can just spring on a kid his age."

"You want me to tell him one-on-one?" Bruce asked. Harvey nodded, finishing his sandwich.

"Did you tell Tim about us?" Harvey asked. Bruce shook his head, taking a sip of lemonade and finishing off his eggs. "How did you explain where you were when you stay the night?"

"Harvey, I have to remind Tim to put his shoes on before we leave the house. I'd be surprised if he even noticed I was gone... But I will tell him too. I'll tell all the boys before the camping trip," Bruce whispered.

"What are you gonna do when Jason graduates next year? Do you know where he wants to go?" Harvey asked. Bruce shook his head.

"I've been afraid to ask..." Bruce's phone rang, and he apologized to Harvey before answering, "Hello?"

"Dad? Dick's friends are gonna stop by, and I was wondering if you wanted us to go upstairs?" Jason asked.

"No, you don't have to go upstairs. Did everyone eat?" Bruce asked.

"Uh-huh," Jason answered.

"What'd everybody have?" Bruce asked.

"I had a smoothie, Dami had oatmeal, Tim had pizza, and Dick had a sandwich. Did you eat lunch yet, Dad?" Jason asked.

"Uh-huh... Um, Jason, how would you feel about having lunch, just you and me tomorrow?" Bruce asked, "We can go wherever you wanna go. Just you and me."

"Okay. Hey Dad, Alfred wants to know if you wanted something specific for dinner tonight," Jason asked.

"No, I don't think I do. I'm having lunch with an old friend right now, so I'll see you when I get home, okay?" Bruce asked, his voice soft.

"See you later, Dad," Jason answered.

"See you later." Bruce hung up the phone and looked at Harvey. "I'll tell Jason tomorrow... Rip off the bandaid."

"How long do you have until you have to be home?" Harvey asked. Bruce looked at his watch. "I told Dick I'd be home around one," Bruce answered. Harvey took a sip of his lemonade.

"How about you, and I turn these lemonades into sangrias?" Harvey asked. Bruce thought about it for a moment before nodding.

"I'll only have one drink," Bruce replied. Harvey smiled, going back to the kitchen to get the wine and rum.

"I forgot to tell you we won the case Friday. His own mother turned on him in court, called him a 'no-good bastard,' and he snapped and confessed to the whole thing. Gotta love an angry New Jersey mother," Harvey smiled, mixing his drink by twirling the glass.

Bruce poured his own drink, smiling to himself. "Here's to you," Bruce lifted his glass to toast Harvey. They talked for a while, and Bruce absent-mindedly had a few more drinks.

Harvey took Bruce's keys and set Bruce up on the couch for a while. "Do you want me to text the kids and say that you'll be a few hours late?" Harvey asked. Bruce nodded, turning to face the couch cushions. "Next time, let me mix the drinks, okay?" Bruce made an affirmative noise, half-asleep.

"It's been a long time since I've had a drink," Bruce mumbled. Harvey chuckled.

"I know that now. Sleep it off, Bruce," Harvey whispered, before clearing the table. When he came back to pull the throw blanket over Bruce, he noticed Bruce was fast asleep.


	6. Sleep

Damian walked straight into Tim's room and stood face to face with Tim. "I want to call Mama," Damian whispered. He had tears in his eyes, but Tim didn't hear it in his voice, so he didn't look up from his phone.

"One second Dami, I'm busy right now," Tim replied. Instead of throwing a tantrum, Damian went to Jason's room and climbed in Jason's bed. He didn't want to go to his room because it was too close to Tim's, and he didn't want to be bothered by Tim while he was upset. Damian let a few tears fall from his eyes. Before Damian knew it, he was crying. Damian didn't really understand what was so upsetting, and that didn't make it any better. He imagined no one would come looking for him in Jason's room until he felt someone sitting on the bed next to him.

"Taking a nap?" Jason whispered, pulling the sheets off of Damian's face. Damian hid his face on Jason's side, pulling him in by his sweater. Jason picked him up and rubbed his back. "You look like you don't feel good. What's wrong?" Jason asked. Damian didn't answer, so Jason paced around the room for a while, trying to soothe Damian. "Want me to call Dad? Do you want Dad?"

"No, I want to talk to Mama," Damian mumbled.

"Want me to go get Dick's phone?" Jason asked, bending over to set Damian down, and Damian held on tighter. "Or we can go together. You can help me out, you can make sure my shadow's doing its job. If he stops following me, I want you to tell me." Damian nodded, not laughing at Jason's joke. It did make him relax his grip, though. Jason made his way down the stairs and past Dick's friends to tap on Dick's shoulder. "Can I call my mom? Damian wants to talk to her." Dick reached in his pocket.  
  
"Sure, but what happened to your phone?" Dick asked, passing Jason his phone.

"It's broken, but I'm getting a new one in the mail soon. I'll bring it back downstairs when we're done," Jason whispered. He went back up to his room with Damian and called Talia.

Talia answered on the first ring, with a semi-urgent, "Hello?" Jason put the phone on speaker.

"Hi, Mom, Damian wanted to talk to you," Jason whispered before sitting Damian down on the bed and sitting next to him. Damian wiped away his tears.

"Hello? Mama?" Damian asked.

"Hello, my darling, what's wrong?" Talia asked. Damian didn't answer.

"He doesn't feel well. I think he just wanted to hear your voice," Jason whispered. Damian couldn't stop crying, and Talia made a noise.

"Does he have a headache?" Talia asked.

"I dunno, I came into my room, and he was already in here crying. He's warm, but he didn't tell me he doesn't feel good," Jason whispered.

Talia made an affirmative noise before whispering, "Damian? Do you have a headache?"

"No," Damian mumbled. Jason frowned.

"Do you just feel bad?" Talia asked. Damian lay his head on Jason's lap.

"Uh-huh."

"I want you to get some sleep then, okay? Ask Jason if you can sleep in his bed for a little while," Talia suggested.

"Can I?" Damian asked. Jason nodded.

"Of course you can. Talk to Mom for a little bit while I go talk to Alfred, okay?" Jason whispered. Damian nodded, letting Jason leave him alone in the room for a while.

"Damian, do you know I had a dream about you? We were walking through a field of cows, and you were laughing," Talia whispered, "The big fluffy ones." Damian closed his eyes as she continued on. "And for a while, we watched the clouds." Jason came back up the stairs with a hot cup of tea.

"I brought you some tea," Jason whispered, pushing Damian's hair back. "Thanks, Mom, for calming him down. I've got him until Dad gets here."

"I love you both very much," Talia whispered, using the same soothing tone she reserved for Damian.

"Love you too," Damian mumbled, half-asleep.

"Love you, Mom," Jason whispered. Jason hung up and pulled the blankets over Damian. "Alfred said he's gonna make you some soup." Damian pat the pillow by his face. Jason nodded. "I'm only gonna lay here for a little bit, and when you're asleep, I'm gonna get back up and help you drink some of your tea, okay?"

"Okay," Damian whispered. Jason lay next to Damian, staring up at the ceiling. "Jason?"

Jason turned to Damian and whispered, "Need something?"

"I love you," Damian whispered. Jason smiled.

"Love you too, Dami," Jason answered back. Jason rarely said that he loved anyone outside of his parents, but Damian was still little, so he would say it to him every now and then. Damian lay on his stomach, turned towards Jason, and closed his eyes.

Jason lay next to Damian, listening to the sound of Damian's breathing. The sound soothed him until he fell asleep too.

Downstairs, Dick said goodbye to a few of his friends and made his way upstairs to get his phone back, and he walked into the cracked bedroom door. Jason took in a sharp breath and sat up. "I didn't mean to wake you-."

"No, it's okay. Sorry that I forgot to bring your phone back," Jason whispered, "Are your friends gone?"

"Kory and Vic are still hanging out downstairs," Dick answered, looking at his phone before telling Jason, "Dad's gonna be home late." Jason yawned and stretched out.  
"We're having vegetable soup for dinner because Damian's got a fever," Jason whispered and took a sip of the tea Alfred made, "Want some?"

"No, thanks... Jason, do you want me to order a pizza for you? I know you didn't really eat lunch," Dick whispered. Jason shook his head. Tim poked his head in the door.

"Does Damian still-." Tim saw Damian lying there fast asleep. "Oh, I'm sorry. Six-year-olds take naps still?"

"He doesn't feel well," Jason whispered, "Want some tea?"

"No, thanks. You drank after Damian knowing he was sick?" Tim asked. Jason shook his head.

"He didn't even get a chance to have any. I'm just drinking it, so he doesn't feel like he has to drink it all by himself," Jason explained. Tim shook his head.

"Still, I think I'll pass," Tim answered. They all made their way downstairs, leaving Damian to sleep.

"Oh, Tim, we're having vegetable soup for dinner, so if you want to order out, let me know," Dick whispered.

"I'll have pizza," Tim answered.

"When's your dad coming home?" Vic asked.

"I don't know, but my brother's upstairs sick, so we gotta keep it down," Dick whispered. Vic and Kory nodded.

"Mind if we stick around for dinner?" Vic asked. Kory fixed Dick's hair.

"Yeah, sure. Pizza or soup?" Dick asked.

"Pizza," Vic answered.

Kory shrugged, "I guess I'll be different and say soup." Dick nodded.

"Okay, soup for Kory, Jason, and Damian; pizza for Vic, Tim, and I," Dick listed the names for himself. Jason slipped away to the kitchen and nudged Alfred.

"Need any help?" asked Jason. Alfred gestured for Jason to wash his hands, and he took out an extra knife, setting it on the counter.

"I don't suppose you've spent much time with Master Dick's friends?" Alfred asked.

"No," Jason pouted, drying his hands on a towel, "I don't know how Dick does it. It's like I want to say something, but every time I open my mouth, I say something stupid." Alfred handed Jason a few potatoes.

"I wouldn't say stupid. I think you're more charming than anything, but I suppose if you spent all your time with Dick's friends, I would never have any help in the kitchen," Alfred smiled.

"What was your real first impression of me?" Jason asked, sliding the potatoes into a bowl.

"Would you like me to be honest?" Alfred asked, handing Jason shaved carrots to chop.

"Sure, why not?" Jason whispered.

"I thought you were fragile. I imagined you wouldn't stay with us long, but all things considered, I have always liked you," Alfred answered. "You fail to give yourself credit for your charming nature."

"Aww, Alfie, it almost sounds like you want me around," Jason teased. Alfred smiled to himself.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Alfred joked.

"Can I tell you a secret, Alfie?" Jason whispered. Alfred nodded. "I know Mom and Dad love me, and I know they mean well... But sometimes I can't help but think you're the only one who thinks I'll turn out alright." Alfred wiped his hands on his apron and embraced Jason.

"That's not entirely true. We all believe you'll be just fine. It's the getting there that frightens your parents most," Alfred whispered. Jason stood there in shock for a moment before embracing Alfred in return. The tender moment between the two was interrupted by Damian wandering into the kitchen in tears.

"Dami? What're you doing up? It's not time to eat yet," Jason whispered, picking him up. Damian didn't answer. He just held onto Jason. "Sorry, Alfie, looks like I'm needed upstairs." Jason left the kitchen with Damian, bumping into Kory on the way upstairs.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. Jason shrugged.

"It's nothin'," Jason whispered, trying not to make eye contact with her as he made his way back to his room. Damian held onto the collar of Jason's shirt.

"Can you stay this time?" Damian whispered. Jason turned on the dimmest light in the room and tucked Damian in.

"Okay, maybe Dad will be home in time for dinner," Jason whispered. Damian sank into Jason's pillows once more and fell asleep.


	7. Little Talks

Bruce got home around five o'clock and untied his tie. He noticed a strange quiet in the house, and he went upstairs, checking Tim's room first. Tim wasn't there, so he went next door to Damian's room, and it was empty as well. "If Jason's not in his bedroom, I'm going to start worrying," Bruce whispered to himself before opening Jason's room door. Jason sat with Damian, eating soup. Bruce let out a sigh of relief. "Why's everyone so quiet? I was starting to think no one was home," Bruce sat with the boys.

"Damian's sick. Tim went with Dick and his friends to go get pizza. They'll be right back," Jason whispered. Bruce kissed the top of Damian's head. "Where'd you go?"

"I went to lunch with a friend and lost track of time. I'm sorry, I know I said I'd be home much earlier," Bruce whispered. Damian climbed into Bruce's lap.

"Who'd you have lunch with?" Jason asked.

"You remember Mr. Dent? I forgot to tell him that you boys were home for the summer already, and it was too late to cancel plans. He wanted to celebrate the case he won," Bruce answered, picking Damian up. "Thank you for looking after Damian. I'm gonna go get him ready for bed."

"He'd do the same for me," Jason whispered, smiling at Damian. Jason stayed behind to take the dishes back downstairs and help Alfred clean up. "Alfred, you don't have plans tonight, do you?"

"Actually, I do. I was planning on painting some shelves for Master Damian's bedroom... A surprise for his birthday," Alfred whispered. Jason smiled.

"Does he know?" Jason asked.

"No, and you won't tell him. You can, however, help me paint and decide where the books will go," Alfred whispered. Jason left Alfred in the kitchen and went to the family room to wait for Alfred to bring the paint. It was quiet for a while. It was so long that Jason thought maybe Alfred had gotten side-tracked. He turned on the tv, and he heard Dick's voice. He left the room for a second to find Dick and ask him a question. Dick slipped his shoes off and stood up straight.

"Dick, where'd your friends go?" Jason asked.

"They're getting their stuff out of the car. Is Dad here?" Dick asked. Jason nodded.

"Can I ask you a quick question? I was hoping that if I asked you and you said yes, I could ask Mom and Dad, and they'd-."

"What is it, and how bad would it be if I said no?" Dick asked.

"Disappointing, but I'd probably ask you again," Jason paused, and Dick nodded. "Could I come to visit you at your school and maybe get a tour in September? It'll only be for a few days, and then I'd go home. I wouldn't bother-."

"Okay. I thought you were gonna ask me something ridiculous," Dick laughed, "Sure, and you wouldn't be bothering me. I didn't even know you were thinking about going to Hudson." Jason relaxed a little.

"I'm not sure if I wanna go to school close by Dad or close by Mom... I was also thinking of Central City because it's right in the middle," Jason whispered.

"Wally's from Central City. He's in Keystone visiting his aunt and uncle right now, but maybe I can convince Bruce to let me take you with me when I visit him in two weeks," Dick replied, "Name the school in California. Maybe I know someone in the city."

"Um... Coast City," Jason answered. Dick made a face, and Vic, Kory, and Tim piled in bringing pizzas and overnight bags.

"Vic, do you know anyone in Coast City?" Dick asked. Vic shook his head.

"Not off the top of my head," Vic answered. Dick shrugged.

"The one city where I don't know anyone," Dick smiled, "But that's like an hour's trip from your Mom's house, so I don't think it'll make much of a difference. Is Dad busy?" Jason nodded.

"He's upstairs with Damian," Jason answered. Alfred greeted everyone, and Jason looked at him. "Made plans with Alfred for tonight."

Tim kicked off his shoes before asking, "In the family room?" Jason nodded. "Mind if we join?" Jason seemed hesitant at first, but he nodded.

"Sure, we're painting shelves," Jason answered. They followed Alfred to the family room, and he had five little shelves with letters already drawn neatly on each one.

Kory sat on the floor between Dick and Jason, and Tim and Vic sat across from them. "They're for Master Damian's birthday. It's a surprise," Alfred explained.

"Dick says you play hockey, Jason," Kory mentioned.

"I used to play ice hockey for school, but I quit the team this year," Jason whispered, "I'm doing something else senior year, but it's kind of a secret right now."

"Give us a hint," Vic replied, "Is it a winter sport?"

"It's not a sport," Jason answered. Kory whispered something to Dick, and he shook his head and whispered something back to her. She nodded.

"Student government?" Tim asked. Jason shook his head.

Alfred started painting the outside of the first one.

"Alfred, do you want any pizza?" Tim asked.

"No, thank you," Alfred whispered.

"Jason?" Tim asked. Jason nodded, and Tim passed him a paper plate and opened the pizza box for him.

"Tim, have you ever thought of trying out for a team?" Jason asked.

"Like a sports team? No thanks," Tim replied. Jason chuckled.

"What do you do after school? I don't think I ever got the chance to ask you," Jason whispered.

"I don't stay after school, I hang out with Steph. I used to be in this after school thing for coding before, though," Tim replied. Bruce came downstairs and asked to speak to Dick.

Dick followed Bruce upstairs and went up to Bruce's room. "What'd I do?" Dick asked. Bruce smiled and shook his head.

"Nothing. I just wanted to tell you something, so I can practice telling the same thing to Jason tomorrow at lunch," Bruce whispered. Dick nodded.

"Okay..."

"You know how I said I was going on a date today-."

"No, I figured out you were going on a date, but continue," Dick corrected.

Bruce sighed before continuing, "I was on a date with Harvey Dent." Dick's eyes widened.

"Your best friend? That Harvey Dent? District attorney Harvey Dent?" Dick asked. Bruce nodded. "How long have you guys been dating?"

"Since Valentine's Day, he invited me over for dinner, told me that he wanted to speak to me, and it was actually very romantic... So, it's been three months," Bruce whispered.

"That's actually nice," Dick whispered, "You plan on telling Jason tomorrow over lunch?"

"Yes-."

"You're not thinking about marrying Dent already, are you?" Dick asked. Bruce shushed him.

"Of course not, that's off the table for at least a year," Bruce answered, "Are your friends staying the night?"

"Preferably, yes. Is that okay?" Dick asked. Bruce nodded.

"Dick, I don't tell you enough that I'm proud of you, do I?" Bruce asked. Dick grew quiet for a moment. "I had my reservations about your going to school and living away from home, but I'm glad to see you've made a lot of friends and that you're doing well in school."

"You know, I thought I'd be okay with never being able to hear that from you, but I'm glad you said it," Dick whispered, embracing Bruce. Bruce hugged him back, and things were quiet for a while. "How's Damian doing?"

"He's asleep in his room, but he tried to wait until you got back home... Can I ask you something?" Bruce asked.

"Sure, Dad," Dick replied.

"How are you and Jason getting along? I know you said you felt like things kind of hit a wall with him on New Years and that you thought it was your fault. How are things now?" Bruce asked. Dick smiled.

"I think things are going great. You're not gonna believe what Jason wants to ask you tomorrow at lunch," Dick answered.

"What does Jason want to tell me tomorrow?"

"I can't tell you that. If I told you everything the boys told me, I wouldn't be the keeper of secrets anymore. Would I?" Dick smiled.

"That makes it sound like Damian and Tim tell you things in secret," Bruce replied.

"Let me tell you, you've never heard anything remotely interesting until you've asked Damian how his day is going," Dick smiled.

"I'll keep that in mind," Bruce whispered.


	8. Small Order

"Chew," Bruce joked, as Jason practically swallowed his burger. Jason took a napkin and wiped his face before taking a sip of soda.

"Is Mom running late, or are we early?" Jason asked. Bruce looked at his phone.

"I asked her to call at one o'clock, give us some time to eat and talk. For instance, I heard you could do more pull-ups than Dick," Bruce smiled.

Jason nodded, before shrugging, and he asked, "Damian told you?" Bruce nodded.

"How are you and Dick getting along? I remember you said you didn't know if you two would ever be close," Bruce whispered. Jason didn't say anything for a while, as he tried to put together his thoughts.

"I know that he wants to be close to me, I didn't really know that before. I guess it's different. At first, I thought I needed to stay out of his way, but now I don't think I was ever in the way," Jason answered. Bruce nodded, smiling before taking a sip of his iced tea. "But then there's Tim. What is he? Twelve? Thirteen?"

"He's fourteen, nearly fifteen... And we'll work on all of that this year during the camping trip. Camping's not really Tim's thing, so I was wondering if you-."

"You want me to help him out?" Jason asked. Bruce nodded. "Yeah, I can." Jason ate a few fries off of Bruce's plate. "Dad?"

"Yes?" Bruce asked.

"Are you lonely when Damian and I are away?" Jason asked. Bruce nodded.

"Sometimes, I am... But I hear from you boys almost every day," Bruce explained. Jason took another sip of his soda. "If you're still hungry, I can order wings?"

Jason nodded. "Are you still hungry?" Jason asked. Bruce shook his head.

"Not really, but I'll help you finish the wings if you get full," Bruce whispered, "I'll be right back. If your mother calls, tell her I'll be back soon." Bruce stood up and made his way to the line, and Jason finished what was left of his soda. At that time, he glanced out toward the street, watching people walk past.

The phone rang, and without looking at the caller ID, Jason answered, "Hi, Mom."

"Oh, no. Um, it's Harvey. Hi, Jason," Harvey clarified.

"Hi, Mr. Dent. Congrats on winning your case the other day. Dad told me about it," Jason whispered.

"Thanks, Jason. I hope I'm not interrupting your lunch," Harvey whispered.

"Oh no, you're not. Dad's in line, ordering wings. What are you doing today, Mr. Dent?" Jason asked.

"I wasn't really planning on much for today. I was going over case files. What about you? Are you settled in yet?" Harvey asked.

"Um, yeah. It only takes a little while to settle in. I think after lunch, Dad's gonna drop me off at home and go to the store. He won't tell me what for just yet," Jason answered, "Mr. Dent, can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead," Harvey answered.

"Do you think Dad's gonna give me bad news today? I know he had to have talked to you about it yesterday," Jason asked.

Harvey made a noise before answering, "I don't think he'd take you to lunch to give you bad news." Jason chewed on Harvey's words for a moment.

"Mr. Dent, do you want me to take a message?" Jason asked.

"Um, sure. Can you tell your Dad to call me after lunch?" Harvey asked.

"I will. Have a good day," Jason whispered.

"And same to you," Harvey replied, hanging up the phone. Jason stood up to see where Bruce was, noticing that he was still at the register, and he sat back down. He ate a few more of Bruce's fries and checked the time.

A few minutes later, Bruce came back with a platter of wings. "Did anyone call?" Bruce asked.   
  
"Mr. Dent called," Jason answered, "He asked me to tell you to call him later." Bruce took a wing from the platter, holding it delicately between his fingers. Jason cracked a smile.

"What?" Bruce asked.

"You eat like you don't wanna get your hands dirty," Jason laughed, grabbing a wing and eating with both hands, cleaning the meat off of the bone. He finished chewing before continuing to speak, "That's how you eat a wing, Dad." The phone rang, and Bruce answered, putting the phone on speaker.

"Hello, Talia," Bruce answered.

"Hello, Bruce. Good afternoon, Jason," Talia replied.

"Jason's currently swallowing a whole plate of wings by himself," Bruce joked. Jason finished chewing.

"Hi, Mom," Jason answered.

"Do you want to make your announcement first, Jason?" Talia asked.

"Well, okay... I talked to Dick yesterday and asked if it was okay if I could stay with him for three days when he goes back to Hudson so I could visit the college. He said it was alright with him if it was okay with both of you," Jason whispered.

"I didn't know you were thinking about Hudson," Bruce replied.

"I think that's alright," Talia answered, "Bruce, Hudson is closer to where you live, so what do you think?"

"I say it's okay. Dick already said it was alright with him. When do you plan on going?" Bruce asked.

"September, maybe," Jason answered. Bruce nodded. "What did you and Mom want to tell me?"

Talia cleared her throat before asking if Bruce wanted to make his announcement first.  
"No, it's fine. You can go first," Bruce answered.

"Alright then, well, Jason, how would you feel about your father and me dating again?" Talia asked.

"Each other?" Jason answered with a question.

"Oh, no, no. I meant other people," Talia asked. Jason ate a wing while he thought about her initial question.

"I wouldn't mind it. Why?" Jason asked.

"Well, I started dating someone in November, and the reason why I waited so long to say something is that I wanted to make sure things would work out," Talia explained.

"And well, we'd like to have them come camping with us for the first week if it's alright with you," Bruce added. Jason nodded.

"O-okay. Sure," Jason answered, grabbing another wing to eat.

"We were planning on adding another week to the trip, so it'd still be two weeks with just the six of us," Bruce reassured. Jason nodded.

"Oh, yeah, that's fine... But who are you two dating?" Jason asked.

"Mr. Dent," Bruce answered.

"And Miss Kyle, you haven't met her yet, not formally that is," Talia answered, "Jason, you know it's okay to say no if you're not alright with this, don't you?"

"I know, Mom, it really is okay. I mean it," Jason reassured, "Are you gonna tell Damian tonight?"

"How is Damian?" Talia asked.

"He came into my room last night to sleep, but he's alright," Jason answered.

"His fever's down, and he seemed more like himself before we left," Bruce added on.

"Good, you'll give him a kiss for me when you get home, won't you?" Talia asked. Jason looked at Bruce before eating another wing.

"I will, I promise," Bruce replied.

"Well, I'll let you both finish eating. Jason, I love you very much," Talia whispered.

"I love you too, Mom. I hope you have a good day," Jason whispered.

"And I hope your day is wonderful as well. Talk to you later," Talia whispered. Jason could see her smiling in his mind, clear as day.

"Later, Mom," Jason whispered, and Bruce hung up the phone. "So Mr. Dent, huh, Dad?" Bruce took a sip of his iced tea.

"Eat your lunch," Bruce chuckled.

"Hey, Dad," Jason whispered, "It really is okay with me."


	9. Tossing Teeth

Dick went to the kitchen to make lunch while Damian and Kory played a game. Tim sat in the living room with them, watching tv. "Tim, are you sure you don't want to play?"   
  
"I think I'll wait for a game of UNO," Tim answered, "Where'd you learn how to play that game anyway?"

Kory moved the little blue stones on the board. "To be honest, I have no idea what I'm doing. Damian's having fun, though," Kory answered honestly. Damian chuckled to himself. "I'll eventually get it."

Tim moved from the couch to the floor to watch Damian and Kory play on the little wooden board. "Dami, you're telling me you've been playing this, and you didn't tell her the rules to the game?" Tim asked.

Damian shook his head. "It's not easy to explain. It's easy to play," Damian smiled. "We can play something different after if you want to play." Tim nodded. Damian moved the little red stones on his side of the board.

"How many games did your Mom send you with?" Tim asked.

"Three." Damian waited for Kory to make her move, and he smiled, transferring the stones into the pockets on the board. He laughed and took some of Kory's stones.  
"Am I doing any better?" Kory asked. Damian looked at Tim, and then he looked at Kory's face.

"Yes," Damian lied. Tim smiled to himself. The doorbell rang, and Kory left the board to open the door.

"Dick! It's something for Jason," Kory called. Dick came out to the front door, wiping his hands on a towel.

"Thanks, I've got it," Dick answered, signing for the package.

"How long have you two kids been married?" the woman asked as she gave Dick the package.

"Huh? Oh, no, we're not married. We're just dating," Dick replied. The woman smiled.

"My mistake," she smiled, "Have a good day."

"Thank you, you too," Dick answered, closing the door, "Kory, she thought we were married." Kory chuckled to herself, and Damian looked at both of them.

"Don't you want to get married?" Damian asked. Dick nodded.

"Of course we do. It's just not a good time," Dick answered, "We haven't even finished school yet." Damian nodded, putting the pieces to the game back in their respective places.

Tim followed him upstairs to help him pick another game, leaving Dick and Kory alone in the room to talk.

"It's not something we have to talk about right now," Kory whispered, "I'm honestly surprised at the lack of hesitation. Now I can keep that in mind." She pressed a kiss to his cheek, and he held his hand to his cheek.

" I'm almost done making lunch. How's it going with Damian and Tim? Are they giving you any trouble?" Dick joked.

Kory looked to see if they were coming upstairs. "No, but I still have no idea how to play that game," Kory whispered, "I just know that I was losing."

"It's okay it took me half a summer to learn how to play, but he's right. It's a little easier to figure it out by playing than it is to look at instructions," Dick whispered.

Damian came downstairs holding a box under his arm, and Tim carried a deck of cards bound together with a rubber band. "Damian promised me one game of UNO before we play with blocks," Tim replied.

"Lunch is almost ready," Kory replied, "So maybe we can play after..." Damian nodded, and Kory fixed a stray lock of hair, moving it out of Damian's face. Damian grabbed her hand.

"We have to ask before we touch people's faces, even if we're friends," Damian reminded her politely.

"You're right. I apologize," Kory whispered as the door opened and interrupted her apology.

"No, I do not like hi-." Jason went wide-eyed as he noticed his younger brothers standing in the living room, and he cleared his throat.

"Jason, do you want to play UNO after we finish lunch," Damian asked. Jason nodded.

"Mhm," Jason answered, "What'd you do while we were gone?"

"I beat Kory at mancala a bunch of times, and Tim asked if you were in trouble-."

"Dami!" Tim exclaimed.

"You didn't say it was a secret," Damian replied, "Oh, and your phone came."

"It did?" Jason asked. "Oh, and I'm not in trouble, Tim."

"It really did come, and I told him you weren't in trouble," Damian answered, taking the box off of the table and handing it to Jason.

"Thanks, Dami, I'm gonna go upstairs, but I'll be right back down to play UNO, I promise," Jason smiled, "Oh wait... Where's Dick?"

"In the kitchen," Tim answered. Jason smiled and made his way to the kitchen. Kory sat at the table with Tim, taking the cards from him and shuffling them.

"Hi boys, hi Kory," Bruce greeted them. Damian took Bruce's hand.

"Daddy, did you have a nice lunch?" Damian asked.

"Yes, I did. I had a wonderful lunch. I think you and I will do something much different tomorrow. What do you think?" Bruce asked.

"Can I go to work with you tomorrow?" Damian asked. Bruce smiled and nodded.

"That's a great idea! We'll take a tour, just you and me," Bruce whispered, crouching down in front of Damian. "We can even dress alike if you want."

Damian smiled a big toothy smile, wide enough for Bruce to see his missing teeth. "May I?" Bruce asked, and Damian nodded, allowing Bruce to pull his bottom lip down with his thumb. "Did the tooth fairy come on time?"

"Uh-huh," Damian answered. Bruce smiled. The idea of letting Damian believe in the tooth fairy was a subject of disagreement between Bruce and Talia. Bruce was glad Talia allowed him to believe in the tooth fairy, even it was just for a little while. "Jason lost a tooth at school, but it wasn't a tooth he was supposed to lose. Mama was angry." Bruce frowned. Tim asked Kory to help him look for something upstairs after seeing the grim look on Bruce's face.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" Bruce asked.

"I thought Mama did... Are you mad? I didn't know-." Bruce shook his head.

"Oh, no, I'm not mad. It's okay. You didn't do anything, no one did anything for me to be angry... Just tell me one thing, okay? When did Jason get a new tooth?" Bruce asked.   
  
"After winter break. Promise you won't get mad," Damian whispered, "Mama already yelled at the school."

"I promise I won't get mad. I'm just a little surprised that no one told me about it, and I'm not gonna yell at anyone. When is the last time I yelled?" Bruce asked.

"Christmas," Damian answered, and Bruce nodded.

"And I shouldn't have yelled at anyone. I won't be yelling at anyone anymore," Bruce whispered, "I'll try not to."

"You don't have to talk to Jason about it today, do you?" Damian asked. Damian was visibly upset, his eyes filled with tears as he blinked them away.

"Not right away, no. I suppose it could wait... Would you like a hug?" Bruce asked, stretching out his arms and allowing Damian to embrace him. "You're so thoughtful... I admire that." Bruce kissed him on top of the head. Dick stopped by the couch on his way out of the kitchen.

"Everything alright?" Dick asked.

Bruce waited until Damian was ready to let go before he answered. "We're alright. Damian was just telling me something. Isn't that right?" Bruce asked. Damian nodded.

"Well, Damian, I made your sandwich. You wanna eat here or in the dining room?" Dick asked.

"I want to eat here," Damian whispered, "Can Daddy stay even though he already ate?" Dick smiled.

"It's Dad's house, his call, Dami," Dick answered. Damian looked at Bruce, and Bruce smiled at him.

"I'll accept your invitation," Bruce whispered.


	10. Silent Night

Everyone slept soundly in their beds, and there was a silence that fell over the house. Dick slept on his stomach, his leg over Kory's. They slept touching so closely that they seemed to meld into one another.  
  
Bruce slept on his side, with arms outstretched. It was a force of habit. He always made enough space for one of the kids if they were scared and wanted to come in. He never fell into a deep sleep. No, he couldn't fall into a deep sleep. Even in his slumber, his boys always filled his thoughts.  
  
Damian slept on his stomach faced the wall, his arm hanging off the mattress as his lullaby played softly through his nightlight. He could sleep without it, but he never said anything about it. Bruce loved playing it for Damian, sitting with him as the weight of his fluttering eyes grew to be too much, and Damian didn't mind. In fact, he loved having Bruce there when he closed his eyes.  
  
Jason slept on his back, one arm on his chest, and the other covering his face. He was too exhausted for nightmares that plagued him oh so often. His sleep was deep, almost pleasant. It was the type of sleep that made Jason feel much younger than his near-seventeen years, only to be shaken awake. Jason sat up and pulled away from the assailant, bumping his head on the wall behind him. He clutched his chest and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry. You couldn't hear me. I'm s-."  
  
"Tim?" Jason swallowed hard. Tim shushed him. "Are you trying to kill me?" Jason caught his breath and opened his eyes when he caught sight of Tim, who was in tears. "Tim, I didn't mean anything by it. I'm sorry-."  
  
"No, it's not your fault. It's not. I couldn't go back to sleep," Tim whispered, wiping the tears from his face.  
  
"Wanna sleep in here? The trundle's already set up..." Jason whispered. Tim nodded.  
  
"Did Dad ever tell you what happened to my father?" Tim asked. Jason shook his head.  
  
"I don't like to ask those kinds of questions. All I know is we're brothers. That's all that matters. Turns out we're not that far apart in age," Jason whispered. He was trying to distract Tim from what shook him. It was a tactic he learned from Talia. "One thing I wasn't sure of, though, are you gonna be a freshman or a sophomore?" Tim stood there still a while as if he hadn't heard a word Jason said. "Are you a sophomore or a freshman, Tim?"  
  
Tim wiped his face and blinked away his tears before letting out a choked, "Sophomore."  
  
"Oh, do you go to Gotham Academy?" Jason asked. Tim nodded. "I only went there a year. Do you like it there?" Tim shook his head.  
  
"It's school," Tim laughed. Jason smiled.  
  
"See, I think you've got the wrong brother because I love school. It's just the whole 'making friends' thing that's tough. How's that for you?" Jason asked.  
  
"I've got a few friends, they just go to different schools. Dad lets me go visit them whenever I have a weekend free," Tim whispered. He pulled out the trundle bed and got underneath the blankets. Jason handed him a pillow before lying back down. "Hey, Jason?"  
  
"What?" Jason asked as he closed his eyes.  
  
"You won't tell anyone that I cried, would you?" Tim asked.  
  
"No, and for the record, sometimes crying can't be helped. We all have to cry every now and then," Jason whispered, "But no, I'll never tell a secret." Tim drifted back off to sleep, and Jason followed. Jason's sleep was deep, just as it was before his brother woke him up. Tim slept heavily, occasionally making a loud noise and turning over.  
  
The house was silent again, but Bruce was up and out of bed. He went door-to-door, checking the boys' rooms. Bruce passed Dick's room, checking Tim's bedroom, and it was empty. Then, Damian's room, and he entered, tucking Damian's arm back into the bed.  
  
Damian made a noise and reached out for Bruce. "Is it morning, Daddy?" Damian asked. Bruce shook his head and pulled Damian's blankets back up.  
  
"No, go back to bed," Bruce whispered. He left the room as soon as Damian closed his eyes, and he opened the door to Jason's room. Tim slept on his back and mumbled something. He left the room, closing the door quietly, and on his way back to his bedroom, he could hear Dick laughing, and his door opened.  
  
"Oh, hey Dad," Dick smiled, shutting his door and cursed under his breath.  
  
"I know you two are sharing a room," Bruce whispered, "I wasn't gonna say anything." Dick rubbed the back of his neck.  
  
"You knew this whole time?" Dick asked. His voice went up an octave.  
  
"Yes, and shh, you'll wake Damian. Nothing gets past me in this house," Bruce whispered. Bruce gave him a pat on the back before going back to his room and shutting the door. Dick stood in the hallway for a moment and chuckled to himself before making his way downstairs to the kitchen.  
  
He made two cups of cocoa. He brought both mugs upstairs, knocking on the door with his elbow, and Kory let him in. "Here you go," Dick whispered.  
  
"Thanks," Kory whispered.  
  
Dick sat next to her on the bed. "I can't hide anything from him," Dick whispered.   
"What?" Kory asked, taking a sip of her cocoa.  
  
"He knew you've been staying in my room," Dick whispered, "I don't know how he does it."  
  
Kory set her mug to the side and whispered, "Is he angry?" Dick shook his head.  
"He never is. You know it's always been like this with him," Dick whispered. Kory took another sip of cocoa, closing her eyes for a moment.  
  
"Sounds like he's an understanding parent," she whispered. Dick shook his head.  
"No, that's the thing. My dad does get mad, just not at me," Dick whispered.  
  
"And you want him to be mad at you?" Kory whispered. Dick shook his head, putting his mug to the side. "Dick, have you ever asked him why he doesn't react to things that should make him mad?"  
  
"Well... No, but-."  
  
"Here, take my cocoa and go have a conversation with your Dad," she smiled. Dick opened his mouth to speak, and she shook her head. "His light is still on. Go ahead. I'll be here when you get back." Dick kissed her on the cheek.


	11. Intervening

Damian nudged Tim, "Did Jason say you could sleep in his room?" Tim opened his eyes and squinted at Damian.  
  
"What?" Tim asked before sitting up and looking up at Jason's bed to find it empty. "Where's Jason?"  
  
"He's in the kitchen," Damian answered, "Did Jason say you could be in here?" Damian crossed his arms, waiting for Tim's answer.  
  
"Yes, I've been in here all night... Who made you the room monitor, anyway? Did Jason say you could be in here?" Tim asked. Damian scowled at him, stepping back so Tim could roll out of bed and stretch his legs.  
  
"He said I could borrow a pencil," Damian answered, opening Jason's top drawer and taking out a single mechanical pencil. "Daddy's in the kitchen too, and Dick is still asleep."  
  
"Is it still early?" Tim asked.  
  
"It's not about your tooth, Jason! It's about your teammates hitting you at school," Bruce yelled. Damian and Tim went out into the hall, and Dick swung his door open.  
  
"It's over, Dad," Jason answered.  
  
"It is not over, Jason! Why didn't you tell the school what really happened? Why didn't you tell us what really happened?" Bruce yelled.  
  
"Dad! Dad," Dick yelled from the top of the stairs, "Relax!" He gestured for Tim and Damian to stay put, and he made his way down the stairs.  
  
"No, listen-."  
  
"No, what's yelling at him gonna do? Huh? I was asleep, and I heard you yelling. Relax first, let him breathe," Dick whispered. Jason took a deep breath, backing out of the room and turning towards the kitchen. "Jeez, Dad, what's this all about anyway?"  
  
"Some kid on Jason's hockey team knocked out his tooth, and he won't tell me who or why," Bruce whispered.  
  
"Why would he want to tell you what happened? I bet you it's been forever since it happened, and that it's really not half as big of a deal as you're making it seem," Dick replied, placing a hand on Bruce's shoulder.  
  
"April, it was April, Dick. I'm not mad at him. I'm just hurt that something is going on, and he won't let me help," Bruce whispered.  
  
"You know what it sounds like to Jason? It sounds like his Dad is giving him the third degree over something that happened a whole month ago," Dick replied. Bruce's shoulders dropped, and he sighed.  
  
"You're right. I should go apologize," Bruce whispered, turning to follow Jason, and Dick shook his head.  
  
"Nuh-uh... Not now, let him breathe for a second first. I'll go talk to him," Dick whispered. He left Bruce in the hall, going back to the kitchen. Damian ran down the stairs and stood across from Bruce. His face was all twisted up.  
  
"Damian-."  
  
"Jason didn't do anything bad! He didn't do anything, and you yelled at him," Damian scolded. Bruce knelt down and placed his hands on Damian's shoulders.  
  
"You're right. I shouldn't have yelled at Jason. I should have been calmer. I owe Jason an apology, and I owe you an apology for not keeping my word. Damian, I'm so sorry," Bruce whispered.  
  
"You hurt Jason's feelings," Damian whispered. Bruce nodded.  
  
"I know, and I promise you that when he's ready to listen, I'll tell him I'm sorry," Bruce whispered. Damian nodded. "I can understand if you're still mad at me." Damian hugged Bruce.  
  
"It's okay, but don't forget to apologize to Jason," Damian whispered before going upstairs. Bruce leaned back against the wall and let out a deep sigh.  
  
Dick came back to the hallway, "I don't know where he went."  
  
"He probably went out on the South lawn," Bruce whispered. Dick nodded, walking outside and closing the door behind him.  
  
"Jason!" Dick called, looking at Jason as he entered the gated basketball court. Dick ran out to the gate and let himself in. "Jason," Dick shouted once more.  
  
"You wanna yell at me too?" Jason asked, turning around with tears in his eyes. "Huh?" Jason asserted.  
  
"You know I'm not here to yell at you. What's up?" Dick whispered. Jason shrugged. "Come on..." Jason threw Dick a ball, and Dick put it to the side.  
  
"If I told Dad why I got my tooth knocked out-." Jason closed his mouth and sat down on the bench.  
  
"You'd have to tell him why," Dick whispered, "What'd you do that was so bad you can't tell Dad about? It's been a month. Everyone knows there's an expiration date on stuff like that."  
  
"Not on this, Dick. I mean, it's nothing I did, and I know he'd understand that part... But if I tell him why he and Mom are gonna make it into a big deal," Jason whispered, "And it's not exactly the easiest thing to put into words." Dick sat next to him.  
  
"Well..." Jason shrugged, and Dick nudged him.  
  
"Do your shoulders ever get tired? Come on, pretend I'm-."  
  
"He was my boyfriend," Jason blurted out, "Well... Sort of..." Dick messed up Jason's hair.  
  
"Hey... Hey," Dick whispered, and Jason wiped away tears. "Jason, I'm sorry."  
  
Jason hid his face, and even though Dick wanted to say something to him, he stayed quiet. "I lied to Mom," Jason mumbled.  
  
"That's okay. I'm sure Talia would understand," Dick whispered, "I'm sure Dad will understand. If you want, I can just sit in with you as a buffer..." Jason shook his head, and Bruce came outside, waving to get Dick's attention. "Ready to talk to Dad?" Dick asked.  
  
Jason nodded, looking up and wiping his face as Dick stood up and left him alone. Bruce made his way over shortly after, and Jason stood up, bracing for Bruce's anger. Instead, he was greeted by a hug. "Jason, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. If you don't want to tell me what happened, that's okay."  
  
"I do want to tell you, but can it just wait a little while. I want to explain it to Mom too. I want to tell her to her face," Jason whispered. Bruce nodded.  
  
"Jason, I really want you to know that I'm sorry," Bruce whispered. Jason nodded, and Damian came outside in his shoes with a plate.  
  
"Jason, Alfred made your breakfast," Damian interrupted. Jason took a breath, and Damian stood at the gate, waiting. "Do you want me to come back?" Jason shook his head.  
  
"Wanna sit with us, Dami?" Jason whispered, opening the gate and taking the plate. Damian nodded and sat in between Jason and Bruce.  
  
"Did Daddy apologize?" Damian whispered. Jason nodded.  
  
"He did," Jason whispered, "Thank you for bringing me my breakfast."  
  
"You're welcome. Is it okay if I still go to work with Daddy today?" Damian asked. Jason chuckled.  
  
"Yes, you should go with Dad," Jason smiled, eating his waffles and pushing around his little bit of butter around on the plate. "Did you decide what you and Dad are gonna wear?" Damian nodded before looking Jason in his eyes. "What?"  
  
"I wanted to see if you really meant it. Remember when you got in trouble, and you said it was okay to go get ice cream with Mama, and you didn't want to talk to me after," Damian replied, taking a breath and waiting for Jason to reply.  
  
"I won't be mad, I promise," Jason whispered as he finished off the rest of his breakfast. Damian swung his feet back and forth as he sat on the bench.


	12. Sleight of Hand

Damian held his clipboard in one hand and Bruce's hand in the other as they walked to the elevator and pressed the button to open it. "Do you want to color a map like last time? We changed a few things since you were last here," Bruce whispered as the elevator door opened.  
  
"Okay," Damian whispered. Bruce pressed a button, and Damian looked up at him. "Daddy, does everyone have the same goal?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Bruce asked.  
  
"At school, we all make goals. Do they all have the same goal here?" Damian asked.  
  
"Uh-huh, we kind of have the same goal, but everyone has their own little goals for the day," Bruce whispered, "Like a hierarchy of goals."  
  
"What's a higher-archy?" Damian asked. Bruce smiled.  
  
"A hierarchy is a ranking of groups, like steps. Our big goal is the goal we all share; the feet the company stands on," Bruce explained, "Our big goal is to keep the company running safely and effectively."  
  
"What's your goal, Daddy?" Damian asked. He took his hand from Bruce as they got off the elevator and took his pencil from the clipboard.  
  
"My goal is to notice things we can change about the company and vote to make those changes. So I guess my goal is to make as many people happy here as possible," Bruce whispered. Bruce stood in line. "What kind of food are we eating today?"  
  
"Bread," Damian answered.  
  
"With a little balsamic?" Bruce asked. Damian nodded. "Okay, but we have to get some kind of vegetable, so I don't have to lie when your mom asks," Bruce whispered, "How about a garden salad? Hm?"  
  
"Okay," Damian nodded. Bruce ordered their lunch and paid before taking a number. He took Damian's hand and sat with him at a table close by the counter.  
  
Bruce nodded. "Anything else?"  
  
"I don't want a ranch," Damian answered.  
  
"I'll be right back," Bruce whispered. He went to the counter, and he bought a soda and a mixed juice. He took the tray to the table and opened Damian's juice. "Here we go." Damian took a piece of his bread and opened up a little cup of balsamic. Bruce called Talia and put his phone on speaker, turning it down just a little because they were indoors.  
  
"Hello, Bruce," Talia answered.  
  
"Hi, Talia," Bruce whispered.  
  
"Good morning, Mama," Damian smiled.  
  
"Good afternoon, sweetheart," Talia whispered, "How are you today?"  
  
"I'm having a good day. How are you?" Damian asked.  
  
"Oh, I'm doing very good. Are you eating right now?" Talia asked.  
  
"Uh-huh. Bread and salad," Damian answered.  
  
"Do you know why Daddy and I wanted to talk to you alone today?" Talia asked.  
  
"No, Mama," Damian answered. Bruce ate the tomatoes out of Damian's salad.  
  
"Well, we wanted to know how you would feel about us dating other people," Talia replied.  
  
"Does that mean we won't go camping together anymore?" Damian asked.  
  
"No, Damian, listen. We will go on a camping trip, but I have a question for you: Would it be okay with you if we brought our new partners to meet you for the first week of our trip?" Talia asked, her voice soft. Damian looked at Bruce.  
  
"Okay, are you and Daddy still friends?" Damian asked.  
  
"Of course we're still friends. We'll always be friends," Bruce answered.  
  
"Of course, your father and I will always be friends," Talia added on, "And the trip will be a good opportunity for everyone to get to know Mr. Dent and Miss Kyle." Damian nodded at Bruce.  
  
"Okay," Damian answered, "And we'll still do Christmas and birthdays?"  
  
"Of course, we're not changing anything," Bruce answered.  
  
"We love doing things the way they are. The only thing we're changing is how long the camping trip is this time. We're making it a week longer, that's all," Talia explained. Damian took a fork and ate some of the lettuce from his salad. "You can tell us if this isn't okay with you. You don't have to meet anyone or see anyone if you don't want to."  
  
"Is it okay with Jason?" Damian asked. Talia didn't say anything.  
  
"Damian, it's about what you're okay with. Not anyone else, are you comfortable with spending a week of our camping trip getting to know Mr. Dent and Miss Kyle?" Bruce asked. Damian shrugged.  
  
"It's okay," Damian answered.  
  
"Alright, just know you can change your mind when you want to," Talia replied. Damian ate the carrots out of his salad. Bruce stood up and moved his seat next to Damian. "I love you, Damian. So much more than you could ever know." Talia's words carried a tenderness to them. She could've said those words a thousand times, and they would still sound just as genuine as the very first time they were uttered. Damian smiled.  
  
"I love you, Mama," Damian whispered. Bruce smiled and kissed the top of Damian's head.   
"Try not to get too much taller before I see you again, my dear," she whispered, "I'll see you very soon."  
  
"See you soon, Mama," Damian whispered. Talia and Bruce said their goodbyes and hung up the phone. "Are you gonna get married again?" Damian asked. Bruce took a sip of his soda and let out a breath.  
  
"Um, I'm not sure yet. I think I would like to get married again, but it all sort of depends on whether or not you and your brothers get along well with Mr. Dent," he answered. Damian nodded. "Your mother and I just want you boys to be comfortable. That's all we want. Everything else comes second," Bruce whispered. Damian finished eating his salad, and Bruce ate some of the bread from Damian's plate.  
  
Damian ate neatly with his fingers while Bruce used a fork, and once they were done, Damian took a napkin and wiped his fingers while Bruce closed up his untouched drink. "Can I wash my hands?" Damian asked. Bruce nodded, taking his small wrist and walking him over to the sink. He held Damian up to the sink, allowing him to wash his hands, and then Bruce washed his own hands. "Daddy, what are we doing now?"  
  
"Do you want to go home?" Bruce asked. Damian nodded, taking his clipboard from the table, and Bruce dumped the tray and took Damian's hand. They walked back to the elevator, getting in with an older man with red hair. Damian looked up at him, a little intimidated and lost for words.  
  
"Mr. Wayne," he paused, "Young Mr. Wayne."  
  
"Good afternoon," Bruce smiled, "Damian, do you remember Jason Blood?" Damian nodded.  
  
"Uh-huh," Damian mumbled as the elevator closed.  
  
"I didn't know your sons were back in town," Mr. Blood smiled, "Hello, Damian."  
  
"Hi," Damian whispered. Bruce smiled.  
  
"Yeah, they got back earlier this week, and Damian wanted to come to work with me today... We took a little tour," Bruce explained, "It's our day today."  
  
"I heard some buzz about you being here today, but I wasn't sure it was true. It's not often you show up unannounced," Mr. Blood smiled. The elevator opened, and just before Mr. Blood stepped out, he knelt in front of Damian and pulled a quarter out of his ear. Damian hid behind Bruce.  
  
Bruce frowned and said goodbye to Mr. Blood, holding the doors for him to get off of the elevator, and when the doors closed, Damian started to cry. "Damian," Bruce whispered, picking Damian up. "It's not real magic. Come on, champ." Damian hid his face in Bruce's shoulder. "What is this thing you've got with magic tricks?" Bruce whispered to himself. "Damian, it's a trick with his hand. It's not real magic," Bruce repeated. He made his way out of the elevator and to the car.  
  
Bruce sat in the backseat with him for a while, consoling Damian, until he finally calmed down. His phone rang, and he lay back into the seat. "Hello," Bruce answered.  
  
"What's wrong with Dami," Tim asked.  
  
"I'll explain later. What's wrong?" Bruce asked.  
  
"Dick's gone, and Alfred went to the store. Can I go out with my friend?" Tim asked.  
"What's Jason doing?" Bruce asked.  
  
"He's sitting next to me. Wanna talk to him?" Tim asked, passing him the phone before Bruce could answer.  
  
"Hey, Dad. What's wrong with Dami?" Jason asked. Bruce sighed.  
  
"I'll explain when we get home. Jason, don't you want to hang out with your brother for a while?" Bruce asked.  
  
"Who? Tim? Come on, Dad, I wasn't invited," Jason whispered. Tim said something that Bruce couldn't hear in the background. "Okay, I'll go. When do you want us to come home?" Jason asked.  
  
"Six for dinner, unless you're spending the night at his friend's house," Bruce answered, "When did Dick say he'd be back?"  
  
"He said he'd be back late, but not to worry. I'm gonna give the phone back to Tim, tell Damian I love him," Jason whispered.  
  
"I will," Bruce whispered.  
  
"Hey, is everything okay?" Tim asked.  
  
"Mhm, are you staying the night at your friend's house?" Bruce asked.  
  
"We'll be home for dinner, Dad," Tim answered.  
  
"Okay, dinner's at six," Bruce reminded him.  
  
" Loud and clear," Tim answered.


	13. Surprises

After Bruce's day out with Damian, time seemed to pass by quickly. May turned to June, and still, something more interesting happened. Jason and Tim became more like friends, more like brothers. Soon enough, the day of the camping trip came, and it roused Jason from his sleep early. He rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling for a while, and then he got out of bed, climbing over his footboard as not to disturb Tim, who lay asleep in the trundle. He went to his bathroom to brush his teeth and wandered out into the hall, bumping into Dick, who was still half-asleep and in his pajamas. "Hey, hey. What are you doing up?" Dick asked. Jason couldn't conceal his smile.  
  
"We're going today. Unless Dad changed the date without telling us," Jason whispered, "What time is it?" Dick stretched out his arms and rested a hand on top of Jason's head for a second.  
  
"Mm... Four-something, almost five. Dad's probably already up. He's always up early... When'd your mom say she was coming?" Dick asked. Jason shrugged.  
  
"She didn't say, but she always gets here around six or seven at the latest," Jason whispered, "You all packed?"  
  
"Why do you think I'm up so early? I bet you're already packed, though," Dick whispered, and Bruce came out of his room.  
  
"What are you two doing up so early?" Bruce asked.  
  
"I'm up packing," Dick whispered.  
  
"I'm done packing. I'm just too excited to sleep," Jason whispered. Bruce smiled.  
  
"Can you take your bags downstairs without waking Tim up?" Bruce asked. Jason nodded.  
  
"Uh-huh, I've got it," Jason whispered, making his way back to his room quietly.  
  
Bruce waited for Jason's door to shut before he whispered, "I've got a little surprise for the boys downstairs. Let me go get Damian up."  
  
"I'll do it. I wanna see what this surprise is," Dick whispered as he walked down the hall to Damian's room. Dick stepped close to Damian's bed and moved Damian's hand from his face. "Dami," Dick whispered. Damian opened his eyes and reached out. Dick picked up Damian.  
  
"Good morning," Damian whispered.  
  
"Good morning to you, Damian. You all packed for today?" Dick asked. Damian nodded, wiping his face. Dick walked them out to the hall and followed Jason down the stairs. When they reached the foyer, Jason dropped his bag.  
  
"Mom," Jason whispered louder than he planned to. Damian opened his eyes, and Dick put him down. Damian ran over to Talia, and she picked him up and hugged Jason.  
"I decided to come early. It was Miss Kyle's idea. She's the one who picked me up from the airport," Talia whispered, pressing a kiss to Jason's forehead and then Damian's. "Good morning, Dick," Talia whispered.  
  
"Mom, is Miss Kyle outside?" Jason asked. Talia nodded. "She doesn't have to be... It's probably cold out in her car. I'll make cocoa just like Alfred taught me," Jason offered. Talia smiled softly, putting Damian down before she went back outside to grab Miss Kyle. Jason made his way to the kitchen, leaving Dick and Damian standing in the foyer.  
"Nice seeing your mom, huh?" Dick whispered.  
  
"Mhm," Damian nodded. Talia came back in, followed by Miss Kyle.  
  
Miss Kyle knelt down right in front of Damian and smiled as she said, "I'd shake your hand, but my hands are freezing cold. You must be Damian. You can call me Selina... And you must be Jason."  
  
Dick shook his head. "Nope, I'm the oldest, no relation to Talia. Dick Grayson, nice to meet you," Dick replied, reaching out to shake her hand. She smiled.  
  
"Nice to meet you, kid," she whispered. Talia took Damian's hand as he led her to the kitchen. Dick and Selina followed. Jason set out seven mugs and put the milk on the stove. "Now you must be Jason," Selina whispered, reaching out to shake his hand.  
  
"Good morning, Miss Kyle," Jason whispered.  
  
"You can call me Selina. I don't bite," she smiled, "You're from Gotham? I always thought you were from San Francisco."  
  
"Oh no, I was born here in Gotham. We only moved to San Francisco like three years ago," Jason whispered, "Did you meet my mom here?"  
  
Talia sat Damian in her lap after sitting at the kitchen island. "I met her in San Francisco. I took one of her classes, and she couldn't stand me," Selina smiled, "I was just in San Francisco for a few weeks, just to get out of Gotham for a little bit, and I thought it'd be fun to take a Muay Thai class. I go in, and I ask her about it, and she tells me no. She tells me that I should take kickboxing first."  
  
"And she did take my kickboxing class, but she signed up for Muay Thai too," Talia added. Jason smiled, turning to mix in the brown sugar, cocoa powder, and cinnamon.  
  
"I didn't know she taught both classes. Otherwise, I wouldn't have signed up for both. So, of course, she decides to make me miserable," Selina smiled.  
  
"But how'd you and my mom end up liking each other?" Jason asked.  
  
"Yeah," Damian whispered.  
  
"She wouldn't go away," Talia whispered, "She finally ended up asking me if I was mean to everyone or if she was special."  
  
"She told me we could discuss it over lunch because it was getting late. I told her we could meet at the gym and go to lunch wherever, and the next day she shows up to lunch in this dress... But she doesn't even say hello when she sees me," Selina replied. Jason mixed in chocolate chips.  
  
"I told her that I was waiting for her to tell me that I was right," Talia smiled, "And she did. Next thing you know, we were planning another date." Jason poured everyone a cup of cocoa, handing Selina her mug first.  
  
"Thanks," Selina smiled. Tim stretched out his arms as he entered the kitchen.  
  
"Jason, Dad told me you were already in the van," Tim yawned, "Good morning, everybody."  
  
"I made everybody cocoa. Where's Dad?" Jason asked as he gave Tim a cup of cocoa.  
  
"He's upstairs putting everybody's bags in the elevator... Wait, we haven't met. I'm Tim," Tim took a sip of his cocoa and reached his hand out to shake Selina's.  
  
"Selina. Nice to meet you. Who's older? You or Jason," Selina asked.  
  
"I'm fourteen, and he's sixteen," Tim answered, "I think he thought I was like twelve or something."  
  
"I said I was sorry," Jason laughed, "You packed?" Tim nodded, taking another sip of cocoa. Bruce came down to the kitchen, and Jason gave him his mug.  
  
"When's Mr. Dent getting here?" Tim asked.  
  
"He said he'll be here at five-thirty," Bruce whispered, "After we're done drinking cocoa, who's gonna help me put the bags in the car?"  
  
"Dick and I can help. Right, Dick?" Jason asked. Dick nodded, still drinking his cocoa.


	14. On the Road Again

"She's nice," Jason whispered as he sat in the trunk of the van, putting zip ties on the bags.  
  
"What're the zip ties for?" Tim asked.  
  
"Each color is for a specific person. Damian's is light green, Dick is blue, I'm dark red, you're red-."  
  
"Dark red?" Tim asked.  
  
"Yes, dark red. What else would it be called?" Jason asked. "Anyways... Mom is dark green, and Dad is grey."  
  
"Okay, but dark red is wine," Tim corrected, "And what colors are Harvey and Selina." Jason took a bag from Tim and placed a zip tie on the zipper.  
  
"Mr. Dent is light blue, and Selina is purple. Dad says they're driving together in Mr. Dent's car, and they're picking up a trailer... Or maybe we're picking up a trailer... I wasn't sure," Jason mumbled, scratching his head. Tim sat in the trunk with him.  
  
Dick came out to the car, holding Damian's hand. "Jay, did you hear about the trailer?" Damian threw Jason his water bottle, and he caught it with one hand.  
  
"What about the trailer? I wasn't really paying that much attention," Jason whispered, taking a sip of water. Tim made space for Damian and helped him up to the trunk.  
  
"Dad's getting a trailer for this trip. No cabin this go-round, we're going to pick up the trailer, and then we're headed up to Asbury," Dick answered.  
  
"Asbury?" Tim asked.  
  
"Yeah, we drive up to Asbury to camp," Dick answered, "It's not a long drive, just two hours or so." Alfred came out to say goodbye to the boys, and they all jumped out of the trunk.  
  
"Master Jason, be sure to tell me how you feel about the ending," Alfred whispered. Jason nodded, embracing Alfred.  
  
"Hey, Alfie, I left you something in the fridge," Jason whispered. Damian gave Alfred a hug.  
  
"Tell Julia I said hi," Damian whispered. Dick gave Alfred a hug as well.  
  
"Yeah, tell Julia we said hi. How long is she planning to stay?" Dick asked.  
  
"The two weeks, as usual," Alfred whispered. Tim shook Alfred's hand.  
  
"It's not too late for you to say I'm needed here," Tim joked. Alfred shook his head.  
  
"Master Tim, I'll see you in three weeks," Alfred whispered, handing Tim his headphones. "I'm sure Master Jason had a backup pair, but I found these in your laundry." Tim rubbed the back of his neck.  
  
"Thanks, Alfred," Tim answered. Alfred said his goodbyes and went back into the house. Harvey came outside and shut the trunk of the van for the boys.  
  
"I know I can't be the only one who's ready to go back to bed," Harvey smiled.  
  
Dick nodded. "I know I'm still tired, and I don't think Tim's ever seen six a.m.," Dick joked.  
  
"I've seen six a.m., I just don't wake up at that time," Tim yawned.  
  
"Everybody ready?" Bruce yelled.  
  
"We're all set, Dad!" Jason yelled back.  
  
"Damian and I can sit in the middle row. I've got the travel bingo cards," Dick answered. Jason nodded, climbing into the backseat before Tim.  
  
"Is Mom driving?" Jason asked as Bruce looked in the back of the car to make sure everyone was okay.  
  
"Yup, the driver's seat is all hers..." Bruce whispered. "Everybody's phones charged?" They all nodded. Talia got in the driver's seat.  
  
"Jason, are you alright back there?" Talia asked. Jason nodded.  
  
"I'm alright, Mom," Jason answered, plugging his headphones into Tim's splitter.  
  
"Bet you, you'll jump," Tim whispered.  
  
"Those audio horror things don't scare me," Jason whispered, putting one of his earbuds in. Tim shook his head.  
  
Talia waited for Harvey to pull off before pulling up behind him and following him off of the property. Jason and Tim listened to a story off of Tim's phone, while Dick and Damian got set up for road trip bingo. "Sleep?" Talia asked Bruce in a low whisper as she turned on the radio.  
  
"It seems like he and Tim have become roommates," Bruce smiled, whispering back to her. Talia gave Bruce a look.  
  
"Tim?" Talia asked.  
  
"It came as a shock to me too, but I guess they've got a lot in common," Bruce whispered, "It's nice, isn't it?"  
  
Talia made a sweet humming noise. "I wish my sister and I got along as well as our boys do," Talia whispered. "Wait... Roommates?"  
  
"Loosely speaking. Every few nights when I check their rooms, they're both in Jason's room," Bruce mumbled, "The thing is, though, I think Jason's been sleeping fine even when Tim's not sleeping in the trundle... I think it's Tim who's having the nightmares now." Bruce took a sip of water and looked back at his four boys.  
  
"Are you going to talk to him?" Talia asked. Bruce took a deep breath.  
  
"I don't know if I should if that makes sense," Bruce whispered, "I don't have the same knack for speaking to the kids that you do. The other day I asked Jason about his missing tooth, and it turned into an argument-. My fault mostly, but still." Talia looked at Bruce with a look of distress.  
  
"How do you know about Jason's tooth? It's a sensitive subject for him. I don't know, I think they were good friends or something. I only let it go because he was so upset about it," Talia whispered, "I wanted to fight the boy's mother."  
  
Bruce nodded. "Sounds like you," he smiled.  
  
"I'm serious. When I saw Jason's face, I couldn't help but get upset. Which tooth did he have replaced?" Bruce asked.  
  
"Oh, it wasn't replaced. It was the same tooth. I put it in milk, and I took Jason to the dentist," Talia whispered, "But it's on the right side of his mouth in the back. Did Jason tell you anything about what happened?"  
  
"Only that he wanted to talk to us about it together, face-to-face that is. I was thinking we'll get the kids settled in and talking over breakfast," Bruce whispered. Talia nodded.  
"Good plan," Talia whispered.  
  
"Mama? Mama, this is the wrong way," Damian piped up. Talia smiled.  
  
"No, this is the way to get the trailer. We're doing things a little differently this time. After we get the trailer, we'll go straight to Asbury," Talia answered. Damian made an affirmative noise. "Maybe you'll get a bingo before we get to the freeway."  
  
"Okay," Damian smiled.  
  
"And when we get there, you can get out and see the trailer with me. How about that?" Talia asked.  
  
"Uh-huh!" Damian exclaimed. Dick chuckled, and things were quiet for a little while as Talia drove toward the storage unit by the trailer depot.  
  
Jason gasped in the backseat, followed by Tim's chuckle. "Told you you'd jump," Tim teased, taking out his headphones.  
  
"Yeah, I jumped, but at least I wasn't shaking the whole time," Jason laughed, his eyes still closed.  
  
"We're at the trailer depot. Who's getting out with Talia?" Bruce asked. Damian started unbuckling himself from his car seat.  
  
"Zip up your jacket. It's cold outside," Dick whispered.  
  
"I'm gonna stretch my legs," Jason answered, climbing out from behind Dick's seat.


	15. Up By Asbury

They arrived in Asbury a few hours after picking up the trailer and stopped at a diner for breakfast. Everyone piled out of their respective cars, and Jason took a deep breath of fresh air. Dick stretched out his limbs and yawned before taking Damian's hand. Tim rubbed his eyes. Bruce went in first, asking for two booths and a table, and came back outside to tell them they had somewhere to sit. They all sat down and looked over the menu, ordering their breakfast and talking. Jason sat in between Talia and Bruce, at a table by themselves. Once they were served, everyone ate quietly, trying not to disturb other people dining there. "Mom? Dad?" Jason whispered. "Is it a good time to talk about what happened?" Bruce nodded, digging into his eggs.  
  
"Go ahead, sweetheart, we're listening," Talia whispered.  
  
"I never told you why he hit me... He did it because he didn't want anyone to know we were dating-." Talia made a noise, and Jason shook his head. "I broke up with him after it happened. We're not together anymore," Jason explained. Talia relaxed. "I didn't want that to be how I came out to you guys... But I did want to be honest. It's been bothering me because I lied to you."  
  
"Jason, I'm so sorry. I don't know if you've ever dated anyone else, but I promise you it's not always like that," Bruce whispered. Jason wouldn't look at either of his parents.  
  
"I haven't dated... I mean not before him," Jason mumbled.  
  
"Your father's right... Jason, you are so wonderful. You're smart, you're honest, you're kind," Talia whispered, "And as long as you remember that, and you remember that we love you. You'll be alright. I promise you." Talia kissed the top of his head.  
  
"And if you're still upset by the end of the summer, I think your mother's still willing to beat up his mom," Bruce whispered. Jason let out a laugh.  
  
"He's serious. You know I can take that woman and her husband," Talia added, "That woman's had it coming since you started school there."  
  
"Mom," Jason laughed, "It's okay. I'm okay."  
  
Damian came up to Bruce and Talia, holding Dick's hand. "I got another bingo," Damian whispered. Talia looked at Damian's card.  
  
"You've got three bingos, and we're not even to the campsite yet. Now that's what I call attentive. Pick what you want from my purse, okay?" Talia whispered. Damian went through her bag and took a Pez dispenser.  
  
"Can I have this?" Damian asked.  
  
"Of course you can, my love," Talia smiled, embracing him. "Did you finish eating breakfast?" Talia asked.  
  
"Uh-huh. Mr. Dent tried something new. He ate the same kind of sausage that I did," Damian whispered. Jason finished off the rest of his oatmeal and took a sip of his juice.  
"Was it good here?" Bruce asked. Damian nodded. "Think Jason'll let me try his tofu?"   
"I don't know, Daddy," Damian laughed. Jason pushed some of his tofu onto Bruce's plate.  
"Half of the sausage," Jason whispered.  
  
"He drives a hard bargain," Bruce smiled, cutting the sausage in half with his fork and put it on Jason's plate. Jason smiled to himself as he ate. Bruce chuckled, eating the tofu and giving Jason a thumb's up. After everyone finished eating, Bruce paid for the meal, and the kids piled back into the car. "Everyone sitting in the same spots?" Bruce asked. Dick gave Bruce a thumb's up. As soon as everyone got back in the cars and drove off, all the boys fell asleep except for Dick.  
  
"You guys must've talked to him," Dick whispered, leaning up toward the front seats.  
  
"Yeah, you are talking about his tooth, right?" Bruce asked. Dick nodded.  
  
"Yeah," Bruce whispered, "It went well."  
  
"How does Dick know what happened?" Talia asked.  
  
"He told me a few weeks ago. I brought it up again a few days ago, and he said he wanted to say it to you both face-to-face, and here we are," Dick replied, "So what's the sleeping situation in the trailer?"  
  
"Harvey and I have the sofa, Talia and Selina get the bed, you boys get your pick of the bunks," Bruce answered.  
  
"Easy, short ones take the top bunk always. So that's Jason and Dami," Dick replied.  
  
"Not actually, Dick. Jason's taller than Tim now," Talia whispered. She pulled into the campsite, and she parked in the designated area for trailers, and she got out of the car and unbuckled Damian from his car seat. Talia didn't wake him. She only carried him out to the trailer and put him down to sleep on the couch. When Talia got back to the car, she climbed into the middle seats and whispered to wake Jason and Tim up. Talia tapped Jason's knee. "Jason?"  
  
Jason sat up straight and pushed his hair back. "We're here?" Jason asked. Talia nodded. Jason unbuckled his seatbelt and nudged Tim. "Hey, we're here. It's time to get settled in," Jason whispered. Tim unbuckled his seatbelt, and they got out of the van.  
  
"Tim, do you eat fish?" Talia asked. Tim nodded. "Good," she smiled.  
  
"Mom makes the best fish," Jason added on as he made his way into the trailer.  
  
Dick started putting blankets on the bunk beds. "Short ones get the top bunks," Dick whispered.  
  
"Would've been me a few months ago, but I think that's you, Tim," Jason whispered. Harvey brought his bag in and looked around before knocking on the doorpost of the boys' room.  
  
"After you guys settle in, I was wondering if you'd like to go to the historic village," Harvey whispered.  
  
"I'll sit this one out Harv, I think I'll take a nap," Dick whispered, "And it looks like Damian's gonna be out for a little while."  
  
"I'll go," Tim answered.  
  
"Same, we've just gotta tell Mom and Dad where we're going," Jason replied, "Hey, Mr. Dent. You ever been up here before?"  
  
Harvey shook his head. "Never been camping before. Never really planned it until your dad invited me up," Harvey answered.  
  
"Well, looks like you and Tim are one-in-the-same. You guys will have fun, don't worry," Jason reassured. Tim unzipped his suitcase, filled with unfolded clothes. "Jeez Tim, you sure do know how to pack, don't you?"  
  
"And you folded everything in your bag?" Tim asked.  
  
Selina came in and went straight to the boys' room to greet them. "Now that's a kid who knows how to pack," Selina pointed to Tim. "I've got the same system."  
  
"She gets it," Tim smiled as he threw his pajamas out on one of the top bunks.


	16. Startled

Jason and Damian woke up to the sound of Tim making a wheezing noise. Damian climbed down from his bed and into Dick's. "It's okay, I'll check on him," Jason whispered. He climbed up onto Tim's bunk, hitting his head on the ceiling when he saw Tim's eyes wide open. "Tim?" Jason checked Tim's pulse and relaxed his shoulders. "Damian?"  
  
"What's wrong?" Damian asked. Tim grabbed Jason's arm. Jason let out a shriek and bumped his head once more, waking Dick, Harvey, and Bruce. Tim let out a sob. Bruce turned on the light.  
  
"What happened?" Bruce asked.  
  
"Jeez," Jason whispered, rubbing his head, before moving back enough for Tim to sit up. "You okay?" Tim embraced him. "Hey, it's alright. Everybody's here." Tim tried to collect himself.  
  
"You didn't see it?" Tim asked. Everyone shook their heads. "I couldn't move, and it was biting me, and I couldn't say anything." Tim took another deep breath.  
  
"Sleep paralysis," Dick mumbled, "Were you sleeping on your back?" Damian climbed into Dick's bed. "When did you get here?" Dick asked Damian.  
  
Tim nodded. "But it felt-."  
  
"It wasn't. Dad, can you turn the light off?" Dick asked. Bruce turned off the light.  
  
"You fellas, alright?" Harvey whispered. Jason nodded.  
  
"We're okay. Did we wake Mom up?" Jason asked. Bruce looked behind him and nodded. "Tell her we're okay. I'm already up here... I've got him."  
  
Bruce nodded, closing the door behind him as he left. "Tim, if you're not okay, you can sleep down on my bunk. Dami's with Dick the rest of tonight... You okay?" Jason whispered. Tim nodded. "If you're not, you can wake me up." Jason climbed back down to his bunk and laid back down.  
  
"Goodnight, Tim," Damian whispered.  
  
"Goodnight, Damian," Tim whispered back. He sat up in the dark for a long time, so long the sun started to come up. Talia came in to wake the boys to get ready for their fishing trip, and she made eye contact with Tim.  
  
"What are you doing up?" Talia asked. Tim wiped a few tears from his face. Tim climbed down from his bunk, and he hugged her. Talia stood still for a moment in shock, but she eventually wrapped her arms around him. "Tim, go get dressed. We'll get some air, just you and me... Okay?" Tim nodded before getting clothes and taking them to the bathroom. Once she heard the shower start, she tapped Damian on his nose.  
  
"Mama?" Damian whispered. She let him climb out of bed before she picked him up.  
  
Damian closed his eyes and rested his head on her shoulder. "Good morning, my love. Good morning," she whispered, kneeling down by Jason's bed to move the blankets off of his face. "Jason?" He rolled onto his back and stretched out his limbs.  
  
"Morning, Mom," Jason smiled. Talia smiled.  
  
"Jason, can we talk after breakfast?" Talia whispered. "It's nothing to worry about it. I just wanted to check-in." Jason sat up and nodded. "Dick." Talia tapped his shoulder.   
  
"I'm up. I'm up," Dick mumbled.  
  
"Now that everyone's awake, I'll be making breakfast with Damian," Talia whispered, leaving Dick and Jason's room door cracked. Bruce and Harvey folded up the blankets and left them on the couch. Talia walked up to Bruce and whispered in his ear. He nodded.  
  
"I'll talk to him-." She shook her head.  
  
"I told him we would talk. It's okay. I just want you to know that," Talia whispered.   
  
"Looks like there's still one person to wake up," Harvey whispered. Bruce took Damian and sat on the couch with him.  
  
"Up and at 'em, son," Bruce whispered. Damian wiped his eyes and yawned.  
  
"I'll feed you first. What do you want? Whatever you want," Talia whispered. Damian looked at the kitchen counter for a little while, trying to think of what he wanted.   
  
"I'll eat what you want to eat," Damian whispered. Talia kissed Damian's forehead. Selina came out of the room in a heavy sweater and sweatpants.  
  
"Good morning, young man," Selina smiled, waving at Damian. "Need some help with breakfast, Kitt-. Talia?" Selina asked. Talia nodded, trying not to smile.  
  
"Jason wants bacon," Talia replied.  
  
"He said he wants bacon?" Selina asked. Talia waited for Jason to come out of the kids' room.  
  
"What do you want for breakfast?" Talia asked.  
  
"Bacon, please," Jason answered. Talia looked at Selina and chuckled.  
  
"It was that or sausage. Jason had sausage for breakfast yesterday," Bruce replied. Jason sat on the couch.  
  
"Morning, Dad. Morning, Mr. Dent. Morning, Selina," Jason whispered, "I had the weirdest dream. I was walking home, but I ended up in this house. All the doors led to other rooms, and I couldn't get out, and there was a song. Something this boy used to whistle."  
  
Selina turned towards Jason and asked, "Were you scared?" Jason shook his head.  
  
"It was nice... I mean, it was cool. I can't explain it," Jason answered.  
  
"I used to have that dream, but instead of a song, it was my sister's voice... And I was scared," Selina replied, "Must be something you're trying to figure out."  
  
"Hm, maybe you're right," Jason whispered. He didn't really believe her. He just wanted to be polite.  
  
Dick came out of the room and set his things on the couch. "Who has next for the bathroom?" Dick asked.  
  
"Only takes Damian like ten minutes to get ready. I can go last if you wanna go after him," Jason whispered. Dick nodded.  
  
"What do you want for breakfast, Dick?" Talia asked.  
  
"I'll eat whatever the boys eat. Thanks for asking," Dick replied. Tim got out of the bathroom, dressed for their trip. "Your turn, Damian."  
  
Damian got up, went to their room to grab his clothes, and go to the bathroom. Talia asked Selina to finish breakfast, and she went outside the trailer. Tim followed a few minutes later, and they took a walk towards the trail. "Talia, I'm s-."  
  
"What happened last night?" Talia asked, using a tone that she often reserved for Jason when he was upset.  
  
"I woke up, and I couldn't move, and I know it wasn't real, but I could see something biting me. I could feel it... I just couldn't shake the feeling," Tim whispered.  
  
"How did you feel?" Talia asked.  
  
"I felt panicked, but there was nothing I could do," Tim whispered, "I didn't want to go back to sleep..."  
  
"Did you feel powerless?" Talia asked. Tim nodded.  
  
"That's part of it. You know how you can go a long time without being scared, and then when something does scare you..." Tim trailed off.  
  
"I do," Talia whispered, "And I understand how sometimes we can be afraid to impose on others when it comes to our fears because we feel they're inconvenient. Is that what happened?" Talia asked. Tim nodded.  
  
"Jason said I could wake him up if I couldn't sleep, but I didn't wanna bother him," Tim whispered, kicking small stones as they walked.  
  
Talia took a moment before saying anything, allowing silence to fall between them. "If I tell you this, you can never let Jason know that I told you. He'd be mortified," Talia whispered. Tim nodded.  
  
"I won't say anything," Tim whispered.  
  
"Before I dropped him off at the airport, he said that he really wanted to get along with you. He was afraid that you wouldn't like him," Talia whispered.  
  
"Mom?" Jason called. Talia smiled.  
  
"Are you gonna be alright?" Talia whispered. Tim nodded. "Well then, let's go back to the trailer, okay?" She opened her arms, and he gave her a hug.


	17. Little Talks

Harvey watched as Jason tied the hook to his line. "Here, let me show you," Jason whispered as he demonstrated how to tie the knot. Harvey followed closely. "Looks great, Mr. Dent."  
  
"Thanks. Can I ask you a personal question?" Harvey asked. Jason nodded. "This is off the books, I promise. How do you feel about the change to the trip?" Jason put the bait on the hook and handed Harvey the tin of worms.  
  
"Off the books? I'm just glad I've got a whole 'nother week with Mom and Dad," Jason answered, "Now a question for you off the books, why didn't you tell Dad that you met me before?"  
  
Harvey shrugged, watching Jason throw out his line, and copied his movements. "Wasn't necessary. You're a good kid. I saw myself in you when we first met. Remember when you got Bruce for that fifty bucks when you first ran away?" Harvey asked, chuckling to himself. "Bruce and I laughed about that one for quite a while."  
  
"What do you mean you saw yourself in me?" Jason asked. Harvey left the fishing rod in a bucket before sitting down in a chair.  
  
"Just history. When I saw you, it was like seeing the kid I was. The bruises, the scrapes, and cuts, but you were a little different than I was. Maybe you were a lot different..." Harvey whispered. Jason turned to look at Harvey. "Bruce knows better than anybody." Harvey looked out to the lake.  
  
"Adopted?" Jason asked casually. Harvey shook his head.  
  
"Nope. Just me and my old man. That's how it was for seventeen years... Seventeen years," Harvey whispered, "You know in all that time since I've left home, I never learned how to fish."  
  
"You'll do just fine, Mr. Dent," Jason whispered, "Fishing's not that hard once you get the hang of it. My mom taught me how to fish."  
  
"What was that like?" Harvey asked. Jason smiled.  
  
"It was just the two of us. Mom woke me up one morning and told me it was time to go. I thought she was mad at me. The sun wasn't even up yet. I thought she was gonna send me away to my Grandma's, but she drove me out to the lake. I was sick to my stomach by the time we got there, but she made me put on rain boots, and she told me, 'Today, I get to know you,'" Jason whispered.  
  
"How long were you with them by that time?" Harvey asked. Jason shrugged.  
  
"Maybe three weeks, maybe a month. The thing is, though, Mom did get to know me. I guess there's something about going on fishing trips that make people wanna talk," Jason whispered. Harvey nodded.  
  
"Did you catch anything that first go-round?" Harvey asked.  
  
"The way my mom is? If I didn't catch a fish that first time she would've grabbed one with her bare hands and hooked it for me," Jason joked. Harvey laughed. "You'll catch one. Just wait it out."  
  
"Wanna bet?" Harvey asked.  
  
"Depends on what you're betting, Mr. Dent," Jason smiled. Harvey stayed silent for a while.  
  
"Whatever you wanna eat on your birthday," Harvey answered.  
  
"Disco fries. Now, what would you want on the off chance that you don't catch a fish?" Jason asked.  
  
"You play baseball?" Harvey asked. Jason shrugged.  
  
"I can hit a little, but I'm not that good. Why?" Jason asked.  
  
"I don't catch a fish, and I'm gonna need you to play on my team for the company baseball game," Harvey asked.  
  
"Alright," Jason smiled, "It's a bet." Damian came up to them and took a photo of Harvey and Jason. "This your first camera of the day?" Jason asked. Damian nodded.  
  
"Picture three," Damian whispered. Jason gestured for the camera.  
  
"Picture four, go stand by Mr. Dent," Jason whispered. Damian stood by Harvey, and Jason raised the camera to snap a picture. He stopped just before pressing the button to fix Damian's hat. "Now, we can see your face." Jason snapped the photo and gave Damian back the camera.  
  
"Let me get one of you two together," Harvey whispered, and Damian smiled, handing Harvey the camera. Jason crouched down next to Damian, and Harvey snapped a picture. "Here you go." Harvey gave Damian back his camera, and he was on his way. "You two get along?" Harvey asked.  
  
"My best friend. He can be a pain sometimes, but really nobody looks out for me like him," Jason smiled. Harvey smiled. Harvey's bob jerked on the water, and Jason jumped up. "Mr. Dent, I think you owe me some disco fries," he chuckled. "Pull your rod up and give it some slack," Jason whispered as Harvey picked up the fishing rod.  
  
While Jason helped Harvey reel in his first fish, Bruce, Dick, and Selina sat in fold-out chairs lounging in the sun while Tim and Talia fished. "Does anyone ever call you, Timothy?" Talia asked. Tim shook his head.  
  
"Nuh-uh. Just Tim," Tim answered, "What was it like when you became Jason's mom? He said he came around when Dami was three..."  
  
"It was a fight at first. I won't lie. Jason wouldn't take to Bruce, and he didn't like me. It was hard not to take it personally at first, but the thing wasn't that he didn't hate Bruce and me. He didn't trust us. Jason likes you just fine if that's what you're working around to asking," Talia whispered, "It doesn't take him as long to warm up to people anymore. Oh, I meant to thank you for taking him out with you when you went to see your friends."  
  
"It's no big," Tim whispered.  
  
"Say cheese," Damian whispered. Talia smiled and nudged Tim.  
  
"Cheese," Tim smiled. Damian snapped his picture of the two, and he was on his way back to Bruce to take another photo.  
  
"Dami, wanna sit with us?" Dick asked, pushing his sunglasses down. Damian nodded, sitting with Bruce in his chair.  
  
"Took some good ones?" Bruce asked. Damian nodded.  
  
"Do you have any juice?" Damian asked. Selina opened the cooler and passed the juice down to Dick, and Dick passed it to Bruce. Damian opened it and took a sip. "Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome, Damian," Selina smiled, "Your mom must really enjoy fishing, huh?" Damian nodded.  
  
"Uh-huh. It's Mama's favorite thing about camping. Daddy's favorite is hiking. Right, Daddy?" Damian whispered. Bruce nodded, smiling as he snuck a sip from Damian's juice.


	18. Canoe

As Selina and Harvey's week came to an end, Bruce and Talia decided to take the kids out onto the river. They rented three canoes. Bruce grouped everyone himself. First, Jason and Damian with Selina, then Tim and Talia, and finally himself with Harvey and Dick. Before they got on their canoes, Jason checked Damian's life jacket a third time. Jason couldn't help noticing Talia and Tim being paired up again. They had even hiked together the day before. Damian pressed a kiss to Jason's forehead, taking Jason off guard for a moment. "Don't be nervous," Damian whispered. Jason smiled.  
  
"That was sweet, but Dami, I'm not nervous," Jason whispered before picking Damian up by the armholes in his life jacket. "We've been on a canoe a ton of times before."  
  
"But you're in charge," Damian whispered. Jason froze for a moment before looking at Dick.  
  
"He's kind of right. Selina's never been on a boat, and Dami's too little to be in charge. No offense, Damian," Dick whispered.  
  
"It's okay," Damian whispered back. Talia checked Selina's life jacket before gently brushing her knuckle against Selina's chin and sending her off to get on the canoe with the boys. Jason got on first and helped Selina and Damian down.  
  
Selina tensed up and swallowed hard. "You gonna give Selina something for good luck too?" Jason asked. Damian shook his head.  
  
"She isn't family. Mama says I shouldn't kiss people if they're not family," Damian whispered in Jason's ear, and he nodded.  
  
"Can you tell her it's not that bad?" Jason whispered in Damian's ear. Damian nodded.  
  
He tugged Selina's sleeve. "It's gonna be okay. Jason's great at rowing," Damian reassured. Selina smiled.  
  
Jason waited for Bruce to start rowing, and he followed. Selina tensed up again, reaching back to touch Damian's hand. "It's okay. The rocking is normal. I've got you," Jason reassured. Selina relaxed her shoulders. "Mom wouldn't put you in a canoe with me if she didn't know you'd be safe." Selina turned around to look at him, and she nodded.  
  
"My sister would love this... She loves water," Selina whispered. Jason smiled.  
"You and your sister close?" Jason asked. Selina nodded.  
  
"We hadn't seen each other in a while, but it looks like I got back to Gotham just in time," Selina smiled to herself. "She's my little sister."  
  
"Did Mama meet her?" Damian asked. Selina shook her head.  
  
"Not yet. I was thinking of inviting you boys and your mom to dinner, maybe having my sister come and meet you guys," Selina whispered, "If that's okay with you guys?"  
  
Damian tapped Selina on her shoulder. "Does that mean Mama might stay in Gotham longer?" Damian asked, and Jason paused a moment.  
  
"Yeah, does it?" Jason asked softly. Selina nodded. "If she says yes, it does, but I want to tell her about it. I know how much your mom hates surprises," Selina whispered.  
  
"True," Jason replied. "Damian? Selina? How are you guys getting along?"   
Damian turned around to look at Jason, "Selina and I found a frog yesterday. He was a little frog, and she picked him up. I like her."  
  
"I like you too, Damian," Selina smiled.  
  
In the other boat, Talia asked Tim about school. "What do you like to do in school?" Talia asked. Tim shrugged at first, trying to think about something he might have enjoyed in school. "That's alright. What about your friends? What do they like to do at your school?"  
  
"Most of my friends don't go to school with me. Got a few friends out of state, one across the way in Metropolis, but there's Steph... She lives in Gotham, but she doesn't go to school with me," Tim answered. Talia nodded.  
  
"Is she the friend that Jason met?" Talia asked.  
  
"Mhm, Damian met her too. She's cool," Tim whispered.  
  
"You like her?" Talia asked. Tim choked on her words.  
  
"Huh?" Tim asked. "I mean, kind of. It didn't start out that way, though."  
  
"Are you going to ask her to come up with you and your brothers on your birthday next month?" Talia asked.  
  
"I dunno. I'm not even sure where I'd want to spend my birthday... Don't really know if I want to celebrate this year..." Tim whispered.  
  
"Oh, Tim, I didn't-."  
  
"No, it's okay... I just miss him, is all. It's like he spent all last year trying to get me to do this kind of stuff with him. Now that he's gone, I'm doing all of this with a brand new family... I feel like such a jerk," Tim whispered.  
  
"You're not a jerk. Sometimes, growing up, we don't realize that things can be temporary. Bruce and his parents, me and my mother, you and your parents... But it's the time that you did spend together that counts," Talia whispered, "I can tell you one thing, though, ignoring your birthday isn't going to help anything."  
  
"Think so?" Tim asked, looking back at Talia. She nodded.  
  
"Throw a little party, invite your friends, enjoy yourself. Let your friends meet your new family," Talia whispered, "Oh, and eat your sandwich. We're gonna be on the water for about an hour, so you might want to eat a little." Tim obeyed, taking his sandwich out of his bag, and he looked back at her, furrowing his brows.  
  
"Dad made these?" Tim asked. She chuckled.  
  
"Kitchen sink hoagies?" Selina asked. Tim nodded. "Here, give me half." Tim gave her half of his sandwich, laughing to himself.  
  
"You can't tell me anyone can eat this whole thing," Tim replied.  
  
"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me," Talia answered, taking a big bite.  
  
"There's no way he could..."  
  
"You've got to see it for yourself," Talia smiled, "One thing I do know for sure, Bruce makes a sandwich fit for royalty." Tim made an affirmative noise as he took another bite. "How are you and the boys getting along? I know it's kind of close quarters in your guys' room."  
  
Tim shrugged. "I think it's kinda cool. Last night, Damian and I made paper airplanes and threw them to each other from our bunks... Dick and I get along pretty well, and Jason's just the nicest. I really didn't expect it, but he is," Tim whispered.  
  
"If I tell you this, you can never let Jason know I said it," Talia whispered. Tim nodded. "When I heard you two were close in age, I was thrilled. Jason has a hard time making friends. He's shy... So the both of you being close means the world to me." Tim turned around and smiled at her.


	19. Take a Hike

The day after Selina and Harvey went back to Gotham, Talia and Bruce took the boys on a hike. Talia and Bruce walked at Damian and Tim's pace. Dick and Jason went on ahead at a slightly competitive speed.  
  
"Dick, did you talk to Wally?" Jason asked.  
  
"Uh-huh... He said he'll let me know when he can take you... Watch your step," Dick replied, taking a sip of water.  
  
Jason stepped over a few large roots from a tree as he asked, "Are you-. How long did it take you to stop having nightmares?" Dick looked at Jason and shook his head.  
  
"I've always slept fine. It was being awake that was the hard part for a long time... We all carry it differently, though," Dick whispered. Jason looked up at Dick.  
  
"Carry what?" Jason asked. Dick stopped long enough for Jason to catch up.  
  
"Trauma. Little Wing, drink some water," Dick whispered. Jason sped up to cut Dick off and stand in front of him.  
  
"What do you mean, trauma?" Jason asked. Dick took a deep breath and rested his hand on top of Jason's head.  
  
"Drink some water," Dick whispered, "And I'll spell it out for you depending on how you react to something I've been meaning to tell you."  
  
"What is it?" Jason asked.  
  
"I know you and me we butt heads a lot, but I love you. I love you just like I love Tim and Damian, but I know how easy it is for people like you and me to feel like we're being replaced-."  
  
"I'm not jealous of anybody," Jason interrupted.  
  
"I don't mean anything by it... I just saw something in you when your Mom was sitting with Tim and Damian at lunch. If you don't acknowledge how you're feeling, it's gonna eat you up... I wished that someone would've told me that when I met you. Maybe I would've treated you better that first go-round," Dick whispered. Jason shrugged.  
  
"I'm not jealous of him. I just feel left out," Jason whispered, wiping the sweat from his brow. Dick took another sip of water before taking Jason's water bottle and handing it to him.  
  
"Wanna take off your jacket?" Dick asked. Jason shook his head. "You know what, I wouldn't feel left out if I were you... Talia and Tim are only spending this much time together because of you and Damian... Let's wait for them to catch up, alright?" Jason nodded, leaning up against a tree. He took a sip of water.  
  
Dick looked at Jason before sitting down. "I believe you," Jason whispered, sitting next to Dick. As they heard Damian's voice come up closer, Dick and Jason stood up and started walking further up the trail.  
  
Dick rested a hand on the back of Jason's head. "Sure you don't wanna take off your jacket?" Dick asked. Jason shook his head.  
  
"Just a little warm out. I'm fine," Jason answered. Dick nodded.  
  
"I know you quit the team, but how'd they do this season?" Dick asked. Jason shrugged.  
  
"Not bad. Not good enough for the team to not be pissed at me, though," Jason whispered. Dick nodded.  
  
"Yeah, you were an alright player. Must have been tough for them to lose a New Jersey kid on a California hockey team, huh?" Dick teased, nudging Jason.  
  
They walked a few yards farther until Dick started to notice Jason slowing down. "Dick?" Jason stood in place for a moment.  
  
"Need to stop for a while?" Dick asked, and Jason shook his head. He walked past Dick and up a few paces ahead to a tree and vomited. Dick shook his head before walking over to catch up with Jason. "Told you to take your jacket off," Dick whispered as he pulled Jason's bag off of his back and then his jacket. Dick mumbled something before pouring a little water over Jason's head.  
  
"Jeez-."  
  
"I know... But I did try to tell you," Dick whispered as he poured a little water over Jason's shoulders. "Feel sick?" Dick asked. Jason nodded. Dick rested his hand on the top of Jason's head. "We'll wait for your mom, and I'll take you back." Jason nodded. Dick poured a little bit more water over Jason's head, and he took a sip for himself. "Kid brothers..."  
  
Bruce and Damian made their way up to where Dick and Jason stood, and Bruce let go of Damian's hand and made his way over. "What's wrong?" Bruce asked.  
  
"I'm gonna take him back to the trailer. He's alright," Dick whispered, "Overheated." Bruce nodded and walked over to Jason.  
  
"Are you sure you're alright?" Bruce asked. Jason nodded. "Okay." Bruce pushed Jason's hair out of his face. "Did Dick pour water over your head?" Jason nodded. Bruce smiled at Dick.  
  
"I just wanted to wait a little bit before we made our way back," Dick whispered. Jason sat with his back against a tree. "I've got him." Bruce nodded and took Damian forward on the trail.  
  
"I hope you feel better," Damian whispered. Jason smiled at him.  
  
Dick sat down next to Jason, watching the trail for signs of Talia.  
  
"Mom's gonna be mad..." Jason mumbled.  
  
"She's not gonna be mad. You're alright, so she'll be more relieved than anything," Dick whispered, "If she got mad at anyone, it'd be me anyway. I'm older than you."  
  
Jason swallowed hard. "Yeah... You are old," Jason smiled. Dick punched Jason in the arm playfully.  
  
"Cute, real cute," Dick smiled, pouring more water over Jason's head.  
  
"Your water's freezing," Jason whispered. Dick smiled at him.  
  
"It's lukewarm. I don't drink cold water," Dick whispered. Tim came up the trail and ran over to them.  
  
"You okay?" Tim asked.  
  
"He's fine," Dick replied, "I'm gonna take him back to the trailer in a little while. I'm just letting him take a breather."  
  
"I think Jason's mom is one stop away from carrying me to the end of the trail," Tim joked. Jason smiled. Talia made her way up to Jason.  
  
"He's fine. I'm taking him back to the trailer," Dick whispered. Talia walked over and felt Jason's face.  
  
"No, it's okay. I think I'll take Jason back. Thank you, Dick," Talia whispered.  
  
"I don't mind taking him-." Talia shook her head.  
  
"I want to. No worries," Talia whispered. Dick nodded. "You take Tim and catch up with Bruce, okay?"  
  
"Uh-huh," Dick nodded, "Come on, Tim." Tim followed behind Dick, leaving Talia and Jason alone.  
  
Talia sat next to Jason, and he rested his head on her shoulder. "Too hot?" Talia asked.  
  
"Mhm," Jason whispered, half-asleep. Talia nudged him.  
  
"Jason, I think I'm gonna stay in Jersey a little while after we're done camping. I talked to Damian about it, and he said it'd be nice if I stayed..." Jason opened one eye and smiled at Talia.  
  
"It'd be more than that. I was hoping you'd stay," Jason whispered, "How much longer?"  
  
"I don't know yet..." Talia whispered.


	20. Ghost Train

By the time everyone got back to the trailer, Jason was already in his pajamas, asleep on the couch, with his head rested on Talia's lap. Talia read a book quietly, in a whisper tone. Bruce carried Damian in and gestured for everyone to be quiet before he walked over to Talia. "Want me to put him to bed?" Bruce whispered. Talia shook her head.  
  
"I just want to sit with him just a little while longer... Dinner's on the stove," Talia whispered. Dick snapped a picture with Damian's little disposable camera, and Bruce chuckled. Jason stretched out, opening his eyes to see his brothers and father standing in the trailer.  
  
Jason looked over at his mom and whispered, "How long was I out?"  
  
"An hour," Talia whispered. Jason screwed up his face, considering going back to sleep. He ultimately decided he was more worried about Tim and Dick laughing at him. "Dinner's in the oven. Are you hungry?"  
  
Jason nodded. "Mhm," Jason mumbled.  
  
"Damian found you a cool stick, but he couldn't bring it inside," Tim whispered, "He did stress that it was for you, and you can go see it tomorrow morning, though."  
  
Dick came back from their room with his pajamas. "Feeling better?" Dick asked. Jason nodded, although his head still ached, and Dick went to the bathroom to take his shower.  
  
Jason sat up next to Talia, and she put her book to the side and made Jason a bowl of soup, and pointed out that Damian's food in a separate pot. Bruce woke Damian, and they washed their hands. Tim followed, and he sat at the booth table in the trailer next to Jason. "Do your feet hurt?" Tim asked. Jason shook his head, and Bruce chuckled.  
  
"You'll get used to hiking," Bruce whispered. Talia made Tim and Bruce bowls of soup, and she sat down. Bruce made Damian and Talia's bowls and sat them at the table before sitting down. Tim ate a spoonful of soup, and his ears went red before he started coughing. Bruce got up and pulled milk and water from the fridge. Jason ate his soup quietly, smiling to himself.  
  
"Drink your water," Bruce whispered to Jason. Jason nodded, taking a sip of water.  
  
"Did Tim tell you I got you a present?" Damian asked.  
  
"He did. Thank you, Dami. I can't wait to see it in the morning," Jason smiled. He kissed the top of Damian's head. "That was very nice of you."  
  
"Did Mama tell you she was gonna stay longer?" Damian asked.  
  
Jason took another sip of water, and he kept eating as he nodded. Tim sipped his milk in between spoonfuls of soup. "You know, Jason couldn't eat spicy foods at first. Now he doesn't mind it at all," Talia whispered.  
  
Dick got out of the shower and made his bowl of soup, and he sat down with everyone else. He ate a spoonful before smiling at Talia. "I remember this. It's been a while," Dick whispered.  
  
Damian finished his bowl and drank his milk. "Thank you, Mama," Damian smiled.  
  
"You're welcome, my love," Talia whispered, "Tim, do you want to take your shower, or should Damian go?"  
  
"Does Damian want to go first?" Tim asked. Damian shook his head and let Tim out of the booth table so he could go back to their room and get his things. It took nearly an hour for everyone to take their showers, but once they were done, Talia gathered them together and turned the lights down.  
  
"You boys get one story, and we'll let you pick. The Atco ghost, the Devil's Tree, or the Ghost Train?" Talia whispered.  
  
Jason whispered in Tim's ear and said, "Pick the Ghost Train. It's Mom's favorite to tell." Tim nodded.  
  
"Damian?" Talia asked.  
  
"Ghost Train," Damian smiled, and Jason and Dick smiled at each other.  
  
"Does everyone agree?" Talia asked. Everyone nodded, and Talia leaned in close. "This is also the story of how I met Bruce. For all intents and purposes, though, this is a horror story." Bruce chuckled.  
  
"This is her favorite story," Bruce whispered.  
  
"I was traveling through Newark for the first time on my own. My father often accompanied me on my travels, but this time I was insistent on going alone. I only planned on spending one night there before meeting my father in Gotham, but I ate in the city that day.  
  
It was mid-November, gloomy out, but I wanted to eat outside... So I bought my food and walked over to the park. I couldn't help but feel as if I was being watched, but before I could turn around, I heard his voice. 'Mind if I sit here,' Bruce asks. I say yes, and he sits next to me. We talked for hours, and it was long after dark. He'd kept me for quite a while and decided he would walk me to Penn Station.  
  
On the way, he starts telling me this tale about a man, a handsome man, who worked as an engineer in the 1870's. He named him Walter Clemens for the sake of the story. He would conduct the train leaving Newark Penn. The train station at night was often empty, and Walter was as cowardly as he was handsome. So when he'd walk down to the station at night, he'd whistle a tune to keep him company-."  
  
The boys jumped at the sound of Bruce whistling the tune, and they all laughed it off, playfully punching one another for being startled. Talia smiled and waited for them to relax before continuing, "So he'd whistle that tune every time he came down to the station. He never knew what song the tune he whistled was for, but it gave him comfort all the same.  
  
For years he kept his same time, whistling the same song until he met a woman named Hedy. He started courting in spring, and in the fall, Walter was convinced that Hedy was the woman he wanted to marry. The only problem was that he didn't have enough money to buy her a ring, so he decided to go to Penn Station early one night to ask for a raise. Walter whistled the same little tune, walking over to the tracks looking around for his boss, and no one knows for sure what happened next. What they do know is that he found himself staring into the lights of the train that took his life.  
  
Some say Hedy declined his proposal, and he jumped in front of the train. Others say a stray dog frightened him, and he lost his footing. The most popular theory is that there never was a Hedy, that his little tune drew the attention of the Devil, and that the Devil took the form of a woman... So when Walter went to the tracks that night, he must've whistled a sour note, and the Devil pushed him in the way of that train that night. Either way, Walter rides his ghost train through Penn Station at midnight on the tenth of every month.  
  
I thought your father was trying to scare me, and I laughed at him. He still insisted that the story was true. I was so taken by his story that I never thought to check the time, so when I heard the train's whistle and heard the wheels against the track, I thought nothing of it. It wasn't until the train passed by in a moment that seemed to be an eternity that I was frightened... When I looked at the man sticking his head out of the window, I could hear nothing but the sound of a man whistling-." Bruce whistled the tune again, scaring the boys once more, and Talia laughed. Jason nudged Tim with his elbow.  
  
"Good one, huh?" Jason asked.   
  
"Okay, boys, time for bed," Bruce whispered. They all got off of the couch bed and made their way back to their room. Damian and Dick fell asleep quickly, and Tim soon followed. Jason lay awake for a while, quietly thinking.


	21. Bruises

As the week progressed, tensions between the boys rose. During the very first morning of the third week, Damian and Tim got into an argument about closet space. It ended with a stern warning from both Talia and Bruce that if there happened to be any more quarrels that they would go home. So, things were quiet for about two days, until Dick went looking through his suitcase for something. "Jason!" Dick called, and Jason came from the kitchen and stood in the doorway of their room.  
  
"What?" Jason asked.  
  
"Did you take something out of my suitcase?" Dick asked. Jason shook his head.  
  
"No," Jason whispered. Dick sucked his teeth. "What?"  
  
"Jason, did you take insect repellent out of my suitcase?" Dick asked.  
  
Jason furrowed his brows. "Wait-. Am I the first person you asked?" Jason raised his voice. "You think I'd steal from you?"  
  
"If I open your suitcase, it's not going to be in there?" Dick asked.  
  
"You're not gonna go through my suitcase, and it's not gonna be in there. Why would I take yours?" Jason asked. Dick unzipped Jason's suitcase and dumped it on the floor right in front of him.  
  
"So, I'm not gonna go through your suitcase?" Dick asked.  
  
"Dick, I didn't take anything from you!" Jason yelled, shoving Dick into the bunk beds as he stormed out of the trailer. He walked past Bruce and drove his fist directly into a tree. Bruce put Damian down, leaving him with Tim, and he grabbed Jason, looking over his bleeding hand.  
  
"What possessed you to do that?" Bruce asked before sighing. "Does it hurt when I move your fingers?" Jason shook his head. "What's wrong with you?"  
  
"Ask Dick!" Jason exclaimed. Bruce took a deep breath.  
  
"I'm asking you. You could've broken your hand," Bruce whispered, "What happened?"  
  
"Dick said I stole from him, and I didn't. I told him I didn't, and he dumped my suitcase! I wish I'd punched him instead," Jason took his hand back and held it to his chest as he paced back and forth.  
  
Bruce placed a steady hand on Jason's shoulder.  
  
"Let me patch you up-."  
  
"I know I've stolen stuff in the past but not from Dick and not from anyone now," Jason interrupted. Bruce nodded.  
  
"I will talk to him. What's important to me now is that I get your hand wrapped up and that I talk to you first," Bruce whispered.  
  
"Do you think I did it?" Jason asked, his voice breaking.  
  
"Of course not. Jason, come here," Bruce whispered, "Listen, I will talk to him. In the meantime, do you need space?" Jason shook his head.  
  
"Can we sit here for a second?" Jason asked. Bruce nodded, and they slid down to the ground. Jason lay his head on Bruce's shoulder. For a while, Bruce watched Tim and Damian play as he listened to Jason's heartbeat slow back down to its regular pace.  
  
"I think it's time we take you, kids, home," Bruce whispered, "Not as a punishment. I think it's time you all go back to sleeping in your own spaces." Jason didn't answer. He didn't move. "Jason, I know it's-." He turned to look at Jason, and he was fast asleep.  
  
Talia came outside and spoke to Damian and Tim. She mouthed to Bruce for him to walk over, and Bruce pointed to Jason, who was fast asleep. She walked over. "I talked to Dick. He said he owes Jason an apology. I spoke to the boys, and Tim said he borrowed it and forgot to give it back," Talia whispered.  
  
"We should take the kids home. Let them sleep in their own beds tonight... What do you think?" Bruce asked. Talia nodded.  
  
"Mind if maybe I stay on a little longer," Talia asked.  
  
"At the manor?" Bruce asked. Talia nodded. "Of course, you can stay. You can take the room between Tim and Damian... How long do you think you wanna stay?"  
  
"Two weeks, maybe... Wait, what happened to his hand," Talia asked.  
  
"He punched a tree," Bruce whispered. Talia shook her head and walked back over the trailer to grab the first-aid kit.  
  
"A tree?" Talia asked as she took Jason's hand in hers, as she cleaned and wrapped his knuckles. Jason opened his eyes and sat up straight.  
  
Bruce messed up Jason's hair. "I'll be back in a little while," Bruce whispered as he got up and walked back over to Damian and Tim.  
  
Talia nudged Jason. "A tree?" Talia asked, and he shrugged.  
  
"I was angry," Jason whispered.  
  
"And how are you now?" Talia asked. Jason nodded.  
  
"I'm okay... I just needed to cool off," Jason whispered. Talia nodded.  
  
"I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want first?" Talia asked.  
  
"Bad news first," Jason whispered. "We're going home today, but I'm staying with you boys at least a whole week longer than I planned," Talia answered. He smiled.  
  
"Can I tell you a secret?" Jason whispered. "I'm kind of ready to go home." They stood up and made their way back to the trailer, where Jason stood at the door.  
  
"Go in. It's alright," Talia whispered. Jason nodded and made his way into the trailer and straight to their bedroom.  
  
"Jason, I'm sorry," Dick whispered. Jason shrugged. "No, Jason... I mean it. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have accused you of stealing, and I shouldn't have dumped your suitcase."  
  
"It's okay... Thanks for putting my stuff back in my suitcase," Jason mumbled.  
  
"Hungry?" Dick asked. Jason nodded, and Dick passed him a bag of unwrapped peach ring candies.  
  
"How are we gonna get along for a week when I come to visit you?" Jason asked. Dick swallowed Jason's words and nodded.  
  
"It's not you. I think it's just we're so different, you and me," Dick whispered, "We're bound to butt heads from time to time." Jason nodded.  
  
"Yeah, well, I wish it wasn't like that... We both get along with literally everyone else," Jason whispered.  
  
Dick smiled and reached out to touch Jason's shoulder before taking his hand back. "I guess you're right... Maybe it's just something we've got to work on. Can you do with knowing that I care about you?"  
  
Jason nodded, "Yeah, I can."


	22. Return

Talia and Bruce returned the trailer and arrived home late that evening. Bruce carried Damian in, and Talia woke the older boys up. Jason stuck behind for a little while, waiting to speak to Talia. "Mom, when are we gonna talk about you moving here?" Jason asked. Talia stretched her legs and rolled her shoulders.  
  
"I've got to go into the city this week and see about a few things, but I promise you we'll talk in four days," Talia paused, "The four of us will all sit down and talk about it, but I'm still not sure what I want to do yet... And we still have to think about your schools and look at houses. It's a big change. I just want to make sure it'll be a positive change for everyone." Jason took a deep breath.  
  
"Four days?" Jason asked, holding out his pinky, and she smiled.  
  
"Four days. I pinky promise," Talia promised, hooking her pinky with his and tapping his nose. "Now, let's go inside."  
  
Jason followed his mother inside and greeted Alfred. "Goodnight, Alfie," Jason smiled, hugging Alfred before he made his way up the stairs. The boys settled back in quickly, and Bruce came back downstairs after putting Damian to bed. Talia and Bruce said goodnight to Alfred, and they sat on the couch.  
  
"I'm gonna go into the city tomorrow and check on the gym, then I think I'll look at schools for the boys unless you have some in mind. Which in that case, we can talk about it after I meet up with Selina and go to a few open houses," said Talia. Bruce motioned for her to slow down.  
  
"That seems like a lot to do in a day. I mean, we do have the rest of the summer," Bruce replied. Talia shook her head.  
  
"That's how I want the boys to see things. That isn't how things are. I want them settled. Especially Jason. He really wants this, but it's a big change," Talia took a deep breath. Talia pulled her hair back into a ponytail.  
  
"Is there anything that you need me to do?" Bruce asked.  
  
"I want you to have the boys more often. I was thinking we could switch off every two weeks," Talia suggested.  
  
"Sure, but maybe we should ask the boys about it when we all have time to sit and talk about it... When are we going to talk about it?" Bruce asked.  
  
"Four days. I want to have almost everything figured out by then," Talia explained.  
  
"The boys can all go to the same school. It'll be easy to pick them up if they're all in the same place," Bruce suggested.  
  
"Good. That's good," Talia replied, relaxing her shoulders. "Bruce, um... One more thing."  
  
"Hm?" Bruce hummed gently.  
  
"Would you mind if I put Damian to bed tomorrow night?" Talia asked.  
  
"Of course you can," Bruce answered, standing up, "I think it's time for me to turn in. I'll see you in the morning." Talia nodded and stretched out on the couch.  
  
"I think I'll sit for a little while," Talia replied. Bruce left her downstairs, and Jason came downstairs in his pajamas a few minutes afterward. "Hello, my darling. What are you doing up?"  
  
"I wanted to say goodnight," Jason yawned as he sat down next to her.  
  
"Are you trying to tell me it's time to come upstairs?" Talia asked. Jason nodded, and she followed him up the stairs before whispering goodnight and going to her room. The house grew silent, and Talia drifted off to sleep.  
  
The boys slept soundly in their own beds, not waking for the sound of Talia's alarm or her small stumble down the stairs as she rushed downstairs to meet Selina outside.  
  
"Good morning, Kitten," Selina smiled. Talia pulled her hair up and took a deep breath.  
  
"Give me a second. I fell down the stairs-."  
  
"You fell down the stairs?" Selina half-exclaimed. "You know we're not in a hurry, right?"  
  
"I thought I was late," Talia chuckled, "I forgot that I switched the clock on my phone back to this timezone... Oh, and it wasn't like a headfirst tumble. It was more of a slide." Selina pressed a kiss to Talia's cheek.  
  
"Did you tell the boys you'd be back around two or so?" Selina asked.  
  
Talia paused for a moment and gasped. "No, and I left my phone inside the house. I'll be right back," Talia replied.  
  
"We're not in a hurry. Tell the boys I said hi," Selina advised sweetly. Talia nodded and let herself into the house, and she went up the stairs to look for her phone. Talia found it in the folds of her neatly-made bed, letting out a sigh of relief, sliding her phone into her pocket. She opened Damian's door, checking to see if he was awake before pressing a kiss to his forehead as he lay in his bed in a deep sleep. She left his room silently and peeked in Jason's room, where he sat up half-asleep, his hair a mess, and his eyes still closed.  
  
"Jason, I'm going to run a few errands with Selina, but I'll be back after lunch... Can I come in?" Talia asked, half-whispering. Jason nodded, and she gave him a hug and a kiss on his cheek.  
  
"Mom, do you think Dad will let Eddie stay the night?" Jason asked.  
  
"That's a tough question... Can you convince your father that Eddie isn't going to set fire to anything while he's here?" Talia asked. "I'd love to stay and chat, my dear, but Selina's waiting outside." Talia left his room, closing the door behind her, and Jason sat there still for a few minutes before going to knock on his father's bedroom door.  
  
Bruce opened the door almost immediately and took a breath. "Why do you look like you have bad news? It's only nine a.m.?" Bruce asked.  
  
"Can Eddie stay the night?" Jason asked.  
  
"Please tell me you mean some boy named Eddie from school and not the Eddie that almost set the dining room ablaze," Bruce cringed.  
  
"That was a freak accident," Jason replied. Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose.  
  
"When does he want to come over, and how long is he going to be in Gotham?" Bruce asked.  
  
"He's gonna be in Gotham for the rest of the summer, and he kind of wants to come over tonight... If that's okay?" Jason forced a smile to ease some of the tension.  
  
"I know I'm going to regret this later," Bruce mumbled, "But sure... Tell him I said it's okay... And Jason, please don't let your friend set fire to anything while he's here."  
  
"That was three years ago. Eddie hasn't accidentally set fire to anything since then," Jason defended him with a gentle tone. Bruce took a deep breath.  
  
"He's spending the rest of the summer with us, isn't he?" Bruce asked.  
  
"I don't think he is..."  
  
"Jason, is he staying here for the rest of the summer?" Bruce asked.  
  
"In Gotham?" Jason asked. "Yeah, but here... At our house? I don't think he is..."


	23. Little Errands

After Talia and Selina stopped by the gym, Talia put in an address, and Selina drove them both to an open house in the city. "How did you find five specific places you wanted to look at in one night and then make an appointment for three of them all in one day?" Selina asked. Talia didn't answer. She only looked at Selina, long enough for the both of them to meet eyes, and she pressed a sweet kiss to Selina's lips.  
  
"You ask so many questions. Come on, let's go in and look around," Talia smiled, getting out of the car. Selina got out and followed Talia into the house.  
  
Selina caught up with her and grabbed her hand. "Now, what are you looking for in a house?" Selina asked. Talia took her into the kitchen, and she opened and closed all of the cabinets.  
  
"I don't know. I'll feel it when I see the rooms the boys might stay in," Talia answered, her voice far away as she led Selina out of the kitchen and into the downstairs bathroom.  
  
Selina checked her face in the mirror and smiled. "You know, I invited the boys to meet my sister. Do you think you wanna bring them by? It's just gonna be a little intimate dinner," Selina explained. Talia turned to Selina.  
  
"You want us to meet Maggie?" Talia asked. Selina nodded.  
  
"That stopped you in your tracks... Yes, I want you and the kids to meet my sister. I love you, and Maggie adores children. It'll be nice," Selina whispered. Talia led Selina through a few more rooms before going down to the basement. "So... What do you say?"  
  
"I think it'd be fun... I also think it'd be nice if we could revisit the idea of you moving in once I pick a place?" Talia asked. Selina froze up. "It was fine during the camping trip. What's wrong with moving in?" Talia asked.  
  
"Living together is a big move... And you have children," Selina explained, "They need you, and I don't want to get in the way of that."  
  
"You wouldn't be in the way. If anything, it would be nice to have another adult around the house again," Talia reassured.  
  
"You really want this, huh?" Selina asked. Talia nodded. "Trial basis, a few nights a week. After a month, we'll see what your kids say about it. How about it?" Talia smiled. "Gonna say something?"  
  
"I'm just going to enjoy this for a moment," Talia replied, taking a deep breath and pressing a kiss to Selina's cheek. "I don't think this is the house, by the way."  
  
"You didn't even see the bedrooms," Selina replied.  
  
"Don't need to. This house would scare the boys," Talia answered, leading Selina out of the house and back to the car.  
  
"What are you looking for in a house?" Selina asked once more.  
  
"I want it to feel like home," Talia replied as she put the second address into her phone just as she received a text message, and she chuckled.  
  
"What?" Selina asked. Talia showed Selina a message Tim sent her.  
  
"He and Damian are playing mancala... Selina, I just remembered something important," Talia paused, "Tim and Jason are getting along."  
  
"Yeah, they are," Selina replied as she followed the directions to the next house. "What about it?"  
  
"Wouldn't it be nice if Tim stayed the night sometimes? I like that they're so close in age, and Jason really needs to get to know his brother," Talia explained, "I think it'd be nice for him to relate to someone closer to his age."  
  
"Does Jason not have friends his age?" Selina asked. Talia shook her head.  
  
"He has a friend his age, but they don't see each other much. Speaking of that, I think his friend is coming to visit for a little while. A sweet kid, he's just a little accident-prone," Talia replied. Selina pulled over as the navigation stopped.  
  
"This place is literally five minutes away from the last," Selina noted. Talia nodded, and they got out of the car and walked into the front door. Talia immediately took Selina up the stairs, and they looked in the rooms and bathrooms. Selina couldn't help but notice the look on Talia's face as they wandered the house.  
  
"This is the house," Talia took out her phone and sent an email, "What did you think of the sunroom?"  
  
"I loved it," Selina whispered, "You know what, you're already done, and it's just eleven."  
  
"Actually, I still have to get presents for each of the boy's birthdays. They're almost back-to-back this year. Jason already got Damian's gift in San Francisco, so he only has to buy Tim's gift," Talia explained, "Oh! And your sister."  
  
"I almost forgot that I haven't gotten her anything," Selina whispered to herself, "Four birthday gifts from each of us, that shouldn't be hard. Which of the boys are we shopping for first?"  
  
"Damian's the easiest to get gifts for. I'm thinking of getting Damian a train set. Then Jason, but all I have to do is set up an appointment for one of those flotation tanks. I took him a few years ago, and he really enjoyed it... Tim is a little bit tough, but I think I'll get him a box of assorted candies," Talia answered, "What does your sister like? We should shop for her first since her birthday's coming up first."


	24. Mistake

While Talia was out, Dick took Jason to look for a birthday gift for Tim. "When's Eddie coming?" Dick asked.  
  
"Dad told you?" Jason asked as they walked in circles around the store.  
  
"Yeah, he didn't seem too thrilled about it," Dick responded.  
  
"Late, like dinnertime, maybe," Jason answered. Dick nodded. "Dick, what about this?" Jason asked, holding up a color-blocked jacket. Dick shrugged.  
  
"Jason, what would you want for your birthday?" Dick asked.  
  
"Cool socks, tickets to a rated-R movie, new shin guards maybe," Jason replied.  
  
"Nothing bigger than that?" Dick asked. Jason shook his head. "Okay... Try to think about something that's missing from Tim's room." He led Jason out of the clothing section of the store, and they walked around the entertainment area.  
  
"Organization?" Jason asked. Dick sighed. "What are you getting him anyway?"  
  
"I was thinking about getting him a little movie projector for his room," Dick answered as Jason looked around. "Just get him something cool that you think he'll use." Jason chewed his lip as he looked around.  
  
"Maybe we should go across the street and look around," Jason mumbled. Dick nodded. "I think I'll get him the jacket just in case, though." Jason led Dick over to the line, and Dick messed with the little things on sale.  
  
"Don't be worried about Tim's birthday party. He's just gonna be happy that you got him something-."  
  
"I've never given any of you guys a good gift... Except for Damian, but he's six," Jason replied, "I just want to give him something that he'll really like."  
  
"Are you trying to make up for Christmas still?" Dick asked.  
  
"He said we're square for that... Wait, are we square after what happened at the Christmas party?" Jason asked. Dick screwed his face up as Jason paid for the jacket, and they made their way outside.  
  
"What happened at the Christmas party?" Dick asked. Jason didn't answer. He crossed the street and entered a record store, and Dick followed closely behind him. "Jason, did I say something to you at the party? Did we fight?"  
  
Jason pored over the different items in the store and stopped in his tracks. "I'm gonna get him this," Jason mumbled, pointing to a record player.  
  
"See, there you go," Dick replied, "But back to the party... I don't remember much about it. Whatever I did, I'm sorry."  
  
"It was kind of my fault. Roy's your friend-."  
  
"Wait, were we at the foot of the stairs?" Dick asked. Jason nodded.  
  
"You told me to hang out with people my own age because I said that the conversation I had with him was none of your business... I didn't mean to be like that. No-. I shouldn't have been like that. I'm sorry," Jason apologized, "Did he ever tell you what I talked to him about?"  
  
"I think I asked once, but he told me it wasn't for him to tell," Dick replied, "Did it have anything to do with what happened on Christmas morning?" Jason sighed.  
  
They walked around for a little while as Jason looked for a few records, and he tucked them carefully under his arm, and he walked to the back of the store to sit on the couch. "It was kind of about that... Kind of something else," Jason mumbled, "Do you remember Christmas?"  
  
"Are you about to tell me something?" Dick asked, and Jason kicked off his shoes and hugged his knees on the store's couch.  
  
"I didn't quit the team just because of the accident we saw when we were on the bus. It's not like what I told Mom and Dad... I don't wanna lie about anything else, but I can't ever tell them about this. It's killing me that I haven't told anyone other than Roy," Jason replied.  
  
"Are you about to tell me?" Dick asked. Jason nodded.  
  
"You have to promise you won't ever tell Mom and Dad. They'll never trust me again if they find out-."  
  
"Before I promise, you gotta tell me if this is something ongoing or not," Dick interrupted.  
  
"It's not," Jason answered. He fidgeted with his hands.  
  
"Okay, I promise I won't tell Dad and Talia," Dick replied in a soft tone.  
  
"I wasn't sleeping well, and I had hockey stuff and school and-. I messed up. I couldn't do it on my own, so a few of my teammates would give me a bump or two before a game-."  
  
"Jason!" Dick shouted. Jason ducked out of embarrassment.  
  
"Shh! Dick wait, it was only a few times, and I stopped right before Christmas. I haven't done it since," Jason paused, "I felt horrible about it. Roy was the only person that noticed I was sick, and I just told him everything. I was so desperate to tell someone what happened that it just all came out when he asked me if I was okay. When you showed up, I felt like I had to go back to lying all over again, so I snapped at you."  
  
"How didn't any of us know you were sick? One of us should've noticed-."  
  
"I didn't want anyone to notice. I freaked when Roy pulled me aside," Jason replied, "I just couldn't handle anyone else knowing."   
Dick took a deep breath.  
  
"Have you talked to anyone about it since then?" Dick asked. Jason nodded.  
  
"Roy texts me to check in sometimes... But I haven't really talked about it since then," Jason whispered, "I messed up, but I've been trying to do better."  
  
"I want you to know you can come to me if you ever need someone to talk to," Dick replied, "Did it feel better to finally be able to tell one of us?" Jason shrugged. "Dumb question."  
  
"I really let Mom and Dad down this year, and they don't even know it... But if I tell them, they're never going to trust me again. It was so hard to fit in with you and Damian... They were so proud of me for finding something I liked, something I was good at, and I messed that up," Jason replied, tears welling up in his eyes.  
  
"Jason, we all make mistakes. You're so hard on yourself, and the thing is, all Dad and Talia want is for you to be okay. They just don't want you to put too much pressure on yourself. Just take a breath, Jason," Dick rested a hand on the back of Jason's head, and Jason let out a small sob before bursting into tears. Dick got out of his chair and embraced him, holding back tears himself. "I've got you," Dick reassured, his voice shaky. Deep down, he felt guilty for keeping Jason at arm's length all those years. He always tried to pretend that it was for the best that they never got close, and for the first time, he realized that that wasn't at all true.  
  
Once Jason relaxed, and his tears subsided, Dick let go. "I'm sorry-."  
  
"Nothing to apologize for. I really dropped the ball on this big brother thing when it comes to you... Not anymore, okay? You can talk to me whenever," Dick reassured. Jason nodded, taking a deep breath. "Also, we'll talk about that rated-R movie thing after your birthday, okay?" Dick joked. Jason smiled and nodded, and Dick messed up his hair.


End file.
